Hills aiming high with Magical Memory

Magical Memory was the only three-year-old in the Stewards’ Cup field and became the first horse of his age to win the race since Danetime in 1997 when sprinting up the far fail for Frankie Dettori.

The Glorious Goodwood success followed an equally impressive triumph at Newmarket’s July Festival and Hills has grand plans for the son of Zebedee.

“He’s got a wonderful temperament, a great presence and is a beautiful, athletic horse as well,” Hills told Racing UK. “He’s improving really well now and he could be up to anything.

“When he comes to being a four-year-old next year, he could really start tackling the top-class sprints.

“He’s done well as a three-year-old taking on all these older horses, good horses as well. Tropics was second in the July Cup.”

Magical Memory could become a replacement for Hills’ stable star Muhaarar, who has won the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup on his last two starts.

Muhaarar is due to run in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville next weekend after working well for big-race jockey Paul Hanagan.

Hills said: “He’s absolutely wonderful. Paul came to ride him and he couldn’t be more happy with him.

“The plan is to run him next weekend in the Maurice de Gheest over six-and-a-half furlongs and that should play to his strengths really.”