By:Don Bielak, Freehold Raceway Publicity Director

FREEHOLD, NJ – – In a race punctuated by a torrential cloudburst, George Muzea, William Popfinger and Michael Cashman’s Lt’s Magic rallied through the stretch to win the $138,100 Shady Daisy stake for three-year-old pacing fillies at Freehold Raceway on Saturday.

Driver Jeff Gregory took Lt’s Magic quickly from the starting gate and tucked into second behind the 7-5 favorite, Gussie Herman (Ron Pierce).

Gussie Herman led the field past the opening quarter mile in 27.3 and half mile in 57.3 with Lt’s Magic close behind in the pocket.

As the field moved down the backstretch for the final time, Ice Sculpture (David Miller) brushed up from fourth on the outside to take the lead, and Gregory was able to move Lt’s Magic to the outside and around a tiring Gussie Herman into second. Ice Sculpture stopped the timer in 1:26.3 at the three-panel station.

Around the final turn and into the stretch, Ice Sculpture continued to lead but Lt’s Magic and Summer Mystery (Dave Palone), who had worked her way into a contending position on the outside, were closing in.

In the stretch, Gregory angled Lt’s Magic to the middle of the track, and the daughter of Magical Mike closed strongly to take command and hold off a fast-closing Summer Mystery by a neck at the wire in 1:56. Ice Sculpture held on for the show spot, three lengths behind the winner.

Gregory summed up his journey. “I left out and landed in the two hole,” Gregory said. “Then, I was able to sneak out when Miller’s horse (Ice Sculpture) went by and I just got behind her and rode her back into the stretch.”

Gregory went on to say that Lt’s Magic is the kind of filly that will “just keep on coming if she gets cover for a while.”

When asked if the rain were a factor in the race, Gregory laughed. “It didn’t bother my filly, but I have to say I’ve never seen it rain so hard during a race in my life.”

The deluge was such that track announcer Larry Lederman had trouble identifying the horses at various stages of the race.

Lt’s Magic recorded her sixth victory in 15 starts this season as she captured the Shady Daisy. The Bill Popfinger trainee rewarded her supporters with a win payoff of $15.00.

Two $46,968 divisions of the Molly Pitcher stake for two-year-old pacing fillies were contested on the Freehold program, also.

The first division went to Alan Kirschenbaum’s Sugar Glider on a pacesetting performance. The daughter of Jate Lobell was driven by Dave Palone and set fractions of 28.1, 57.4, 1:26.4 before drawing clear in the stretch to win by four and three-quarter lengths in 1:55, just one-fifth of a second off the Freehold track record held jointly by Michelle’s Fantasy (1999) and Coochie Mama (2002). Buckleup Baby (Cat Manzi) briefly joined the leader approaching the three-quarter mile mark, then tucked into second on the final turn and finished well to earn the place spot. Unspoken (Stephane Bouchard) passed tired horses and finished third, eleven lengths behind the winner.

In taking her division of the Molly Pitcher, Sugar Glider notched her second win in four career starts. The George Berkner-conditioned filly returned $2.40 as the prohibitive favorite.

The 1-9 favorite in the second division, Irving Bork’s Elite Sorority, easily controlled the pace and scored a wire-to-wire victory with Ron Pierce at the reins. The Cam’s Card Shark filly strolled through splits of 29.2, 1:00, 1:29 and finished up the mile three and three-quarter lengths in front in 1:57. Artchitecture (Dave Palone) closed from last at the midway point of the mile and finished second while no threat to the winner. It was another one and one-half lengths back to Artistic Hanover (Stephane Bouchard) in third.

The Molly Pitcher win gave Elite Sorority her fourth career tally in five outings. The trainee of Brian Brown paid $2.20 to win.