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Measure Of Magic aims to flourish at top level

Measure Of MagicMeasure Of Magic
© Photo Healy Racing

Johnny Murtagh fully expects Measure Of Magic to bounce back from a below-par effort in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh last weekend as he targets further sprint gold.

The Kodi Bear filly could find no extra in the final furlong as she came home seventh of the eight runners.

In her juvenile campaign last year, she took the scalps of Mooneista and Miss Amulet in victories at Tipperary and Down Royal respectively.

This season she has secured two Listed successes in addition to finishing a running-on third in the Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot on her penultimate start.

"She's good. We were a bit disappointed with the way she ran but I have her in the Nunthorpe (at York) and in the Haydock Sprint (Cup)," Murtagh said.

“It looked like she wanted six furlongs the other day but I just don't think she ran up to form. She was just a little bit flat on the day.

“We've big ambitions for her, we think she's a Group One filly, and she didn't run anywhere near her Ascot run.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson

About Michael Graham
Michael has worked in horse racing journalism for more than 15 years, having also written a weekly betting column on Gaelic football and hurling for a newspaper. He is involved in writing the My Racing Story features on this website. He spent a year in South Africa completing a Diploma in Business Administration and also studied Newspaper Journalism in Belfast. He enjoys playing 5-a-side football on a regular basis.