Magoo's Magic Finds Wire in Huntington

Magoo's Magic and Javier Castellano went gate to wire for a 3 1/2-length win the $82,950 Huntington for 2-year-olds at sunny Aqueduct Sunday.

"He really shot out of the gate and opened up two lengths in front," Castellano said.

He earned $49,770 for owner Martin Schwartz and paid $23.40, $11.80 and $8.10 as the 10-1 sixth choice in a field of nine.

Magoo's Magic – a dark bay juvenile colt by Awesome Again   out of Slew the Queen (Seattle Slew) – went to the front and set fractions of :22 1/5 and :45 4/5 and held on to his advantage to win the 6-furlong race in 1:10. He is now 2-1-0 from four starts with earnings of $70,358.

"He did it easy all the way," Castellano said. "He did everything right. I had plenty of horse left in the stretch. When I asked him he took off again."

Magoo's Magic broke his maiden on Sept. 11 in his second start at Calder. In the subsequent Cowdin Stakes on Oct. 17 at Belmont he finished fifth, 20 lengths behind winner Flamenco.

"I have no idea why he ran so much better today," said winning trainer H. Allen Jerkens. "The rail was fast today. They unloaded and he put him right on the rail. That made a bit of difference. Maybe he wasn't as good last time. He has been training real good."

Malheur, the 2-1 favorite, never got into the race and finished fifth.

Storm Creek Rising ($8.90, $6.60), ridden by Aaron Gryder, tracked the winner in second all the way but could not challenge in the stretch, finishing one length in front of the show horse, Tani Maru ($6.10), piloted by Edgar Prado. The exacta returned $168.50 and the trifecta paid $1,354.

(Chart, Equibase)