Freehold, NJ — Lyons Steel made his first win of 2020 a dominant one on Saturday (Feb. 15) at Freehold Raceway, winning the Preferred Handicap pace by three lengths.

After a brief layoff, Lyons Steel (Pat Lachance) returned to the races last week, finishing fifth in the Preferred with a strong closing rally. Off that big effort, he was made the 3/5 choice in this week’s Preferred. 

He dropped into sixth in the early stages, driver Pat Lachance took him to the outside nearing the half-mile point, then went three-wide at the five-eighths marker to get around a stalled rival. He continued his move nearing three-quarters, effortlessly moving by early leader Smileandsaycheese (Austin Siegelman) and getting a clear advantage as they turned for home. With no serious competition in the stretch, he coasted home a three-length winner. The final time over the fast track was an impressive 1:53.3.

Lyons Steel made waves at Freehold last year, winning the Preferred three times. He picked up where he left off Saturday afternoon, continuing his impressive ways over that track. He’s owned by BD Racing LLC and trained by Dennis Watson.

Live racing resumes on Friday at Freehold, starting at 12:30 p.m. There will be a double carryover in the Pick-5, worth $1,474.46.