Sydney, August 29 – Magic Albert went agonizingly close to siring his third Group One winner with the Grahame Begg trained colt Ilovethiscity rattling home for third in the $1million STC Golden Rose at Rosehill on Saturday.
Ilovethiscity charged home from near last to beaten a half neck and short neck for third behind Toorak Toff and Squamosa, with many punters on course believing he was the unlucky runner of the race.
“I feel sick, we should have won, he’s a very good horse,” Ilovethiscity’s jockey Josh Parr said after the race.
A $40,000 purchase for his trainer from the Fairview Park Stud draft at the 2009 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Ilovethiscity is raced by a large syndicate who enjoyed previous success with another smart Begg trained winner Handsupfordetroit, whose BOBs bonuses were used to double up and purchase Ilovethiscity.
A handsome chestnut, who is the image of his sire Magic Albert, Ilovethiscity has already won just shy of $200,000 in prizemoney with a win and three placings from just six starts.
Ilovethiscity is the fifth living foal of the Kenfair mare Kensington Rose (NZ), whose dam is a three-quarter sister-in blood to high class miler Dalmacia, who was trained by Neville Begg to win races such as the Group One AJC Epsom Handicap.
This is also the family of champion racehorse and sire Lonhro as well as Group One winners Grosvenor, Mahaya, Niello, etc.
Ilovethiscity will be given the chance to atone for his narrow defeat with the Group Two AJC Stan Fox Stakes over 1400 metres at Randwick and possibly the Group One MRC Caulfield Guineas seen as potential targets.
