by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — His sex certainly would not have determined or guaranteed any future racing success, yet it undoubtedly assured Daylon Magician, a son of Kadabra-Daylon Marvel, would remain at the farm after he came into the world.

“For 25 years my wife Mary and I sold yearlings at the sale in Toronto,” explained David Lemon of Komoka, Ontario. “We sold most of our mares, keeping two of them, and semi-retiring. We had owned three generations in their families and I actually sold three foals out of Marvel at the yearling sales. They all raced pretty good and one (Daylon Mystique) was really good.”

After foaling three straight fillies, in 2008 Daylon Marvel had a colt and his breeder decided to hang on to him.

“I kept him and trained him, rather than playing golf, hoping he would be a halfway decent racehorse.”

Daylon Magician is a half brother to Daylon Mystique (Amigo Hall, $310,162, 1:56.4f) who received several 2008 O’Brien Award votes as Canada’s champion 2-year-old trotting filly. She captured the 2009 Ontario Sire Stakes Grassroots Championship and is a track record holder at Hiawatha Horse Park.

New Image Media photo

Daylon Magician has hit the board in eight of 10 lifetime starts, with earnings of $308,906.

Daylon Magician started eight times last year with three victories, two seconds and one third. The colt earned $222,006, took a lifetime mark of 1:55.3s and set a track record at Flamboro Downs (1:57.4) on September 25. He competed exclusively in Ontario Sire Stakes company and closed out his freshman year with a triumph in the $297,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final.

This year, Daylon Magician has won both of his starts, a $41,200 Ontario Sire Stakes Gold elimination on May 22 at Mohawk and the $132,600 Gold final at Mohawk on May 30, when he lowered his mark to 1:53.2s. He has also boosted his bank account by $86,900.

On Saturday (June 11), Daylon Magician will leave from post position four in a C$30,000 Goodtimes elimination, which is scheduled as race 9 on Mohawk’s card.

“Since I don’t golf or sail, I decided to keep training just two a year,” Lemon said. “I actually have always trained a couple horses. If there was a small one or one that had hurt itself, I would train them and race them myself until I could get them sold. We raced his mother and she did pretty good; she earned $128,293.

“We also bred Classic Wish (p,3,T1:52-$436,273). Her name had Daylon in front like all our horses do, but they changed it (from Daylon Mystery) after buying her at the yearling sale. Her sons Bettor’s Delight and No Pan Intended have done pretty well.

“Right from the beginning Daylon Magician was big and strong and seemed pretty smart,” he continued. “His driver, Jack Moiseyev, asked me earlier this year how he was training down and I told him, ‘Just like a machine.’ Moiseyev loved him from the start. After his qualifying race he came in and told me, ‘This is a nice horse.’”

Although he was a top quality performer at age two, Lemon feels the transition to three will be a key factor in Daylon Magician’s development this season.

“He’s like driving a car,” he said. “You just sit behind him and push the pedal however fast you want to go. Now last year we had a little trouble getting his shoeing quite right. Once we got that he finished off the year well, so we just kept everything the same.

“From last year over the winter I think he grew a couple of inches longer and has grown into his legs now. Last year he used to hit his ankles a little bit and now he’s perfectly gaited. I shouldn’t say anything though, because next week he’ll make a break.”

If all goes according to Lemon’s plan, the colt will compete solely on Canadian soil, but will have a full schedule.

“I’m just going to keep and race him,” he said. “I’ve had quite a few offers this year and last year to buy him, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep him. We paid him into the Goodtimes, the Canadian Breeders and the Canadian Trotting Classic, so if he goes in all three of those and the sire stakes that will give him between 18 and 20 starts, which is quite a lot.

“Right from the start I thought we had a nice horse, as I said before he was always big and strong,” Lemon continued. “But I didn’t think we would be winning some of these races. I just thought we would get some checks. He’s far outdone our expectations; even from last year. The way he’s started out this year has been super. I still can’t believe how it’s going and we have been very lucky with what we have come up with.”

Here are the full fields for the Goodtimes eliminations on Saturday at Mohawk.

Elim One: 1. Ice Machine, D. Miller, C. Norris; 2. Attorney Hanover, L. Ouellette, B. Noren; 3. E L Rock, T. Tetrick, A. Lorentzon; 4. Mr Joe Sixpack, J. Jamieson, S. Arsenault; 5. Blue Porsche, T. Ritchie, B. Burgess; 6. Del Cielo, J. Moiseyev, G. Sholty; 7. Sim Brown, Ra. Waples, J. Gillis.

Elim Two: 1. Soulful Delight, Ra. Waples, R. Young; 2. Bloomington, D. Miller, R. Bolon; 3. Spectator K, C. Norris, Norris; 4. VC Chocoholic, B. Sears, T. Smedshammer; 5. Highland Thunder, R. Zeron, S. Kerwood; 6. Future Night Train, S. Zeron, G. Barr; 7. Whiskey Tax, Ra. Waples, T. Durand; 8. Just In, L. Ouellette, H. Hollsten.

Elim Three: 1. Pegasus Blue Chip, J. Jamieson, B. Burgess; 2. Haulin Laser, J. Mulinix, Mulinix; 3. Tamarind, S. Filion, M. Steacy; 4. Daylon Magician, J. Moiseyev, D. Lemon; 5. Imperial Count, S. Zeron, R. Norman; 6. Onirique, L. Ouellette, F. Persson; 7. Fort Valley AS, T. Tetrick, A. Lorentzon.