Infinite Magic Revs Up for Peter Pan

Well-traveled 3-year-old Infinite Magic has taken up residence in Bobby Ribaudo’s barn at Belmont Park, where he is training for an expected start in next Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Peter Pan.

The Peter Pan is a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and is a local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Stakes on June 8.

Infinite Magic began his career in England, where he won two of five starts, all over synthetic surfaces. After winning a handicap at Lingfield on February 1, he was purchased by Team Valor International and taken to the United States.

He has made one start in the United States, rallying from last to win a second-level allowance by a nose on Keeneland’s turf course on April 14 for trainer H. Graham Motion. The Peter Pan will be the colt’s first start for Ribaudo.

“It’d be easy to keep him on the grass – there’s a grass overnight stakes [on the day of the Peter Pan] – but when people invest money and take shots with 3-year-olds they’re hoping they can do something they haven’t done yet,” said Ribaudo. “It’d be nice to see if he can handle the dirt, and then there’d be a lot of options for him. You don’t want to compare him to Animal Kingdom, but [Barry Irwin of Team Valor] did the same thing with Animal Kingdom, and everyone thought he was nuts. He ran on the synthetic, and the next thing you know he’s in the [2011] Derby on the dirt and he wins.”

Infinite Magic has had one workout at Belmont, breezing four furlongs in 50.11 seconds over the main track on April 14. Ribaudo said the son of More Than Ready is scheduled to breeze again on Sunday.

“It was an easy breeze, but he travels well on [the dirt], and we make sure to train him every day on the main track and take him to the paddock,” said Ribaudo. “Nothing seems to bother him. There’s nothing we don’t like about the way he travels [on the dirt], but in the afternoon you have to get dirt in the face, and sometimes that’s what they don’t like.”

Infinite Magic’s win on February 1 came at 1 ¼ miles, and Ribaudo expects the colt to have an edge over his Peter Pan opponents, many of whom have never competed beyond 1 1/16 miles.

“A mile and an eighth at Belmont is tough for a 3-year-old,” said Ribaudo. “It’s five-eighths of a mile before you get to a turn. You turn for home, and lot of those 3-year-olds will be done. At least he’s been a mile and a quarter. It was on synthetic in Europe, so it may not be as grueling, but it was a mile and a quarter, so at least he’s probably going to be the only horse who has gone that far.”