by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Hilary Matthews and Barbara Lightner hope Saturday night is an enchanted evening for Pink Magic.

Matthews and Lightner own Pink Magic, who is among the 14 3-year-old filly pacers entered in Saturday’s Courageous Lady Stakes at Northfield Park. The entrants were divided into two seven-horse divisions, each racing for a purse of $50,750. Pink Magic, with driver Mike Wilder, will start from post seven in the first division.

Pink Magic, trained by Danny Collins, is 1-for-1 this year and has won three consecutive starts dating back to last September. Among those victories was a 1:57 triumph in the Standardbred Stakes at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio. The filly has won three of eight career races and earned $35,610.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Pink Magic scored in 1:57 as a freshman in the Standardbred Stakes at Delaware.

“I think she’s still green,” Matthews said. “We’re not entirely sure she knows what it’s about yet, but she’ll do what you ask her. She’s still a work in progress.”

Matthews and Lightner are small-animal veterinarians who run a 24-hour specialty and emergency facility in Columbus, Ohio. Matthews handles the internal medicine services and Lightner the surgery practice.

The women were involved with pleasure riding and were introduced to harness racing by their farrier, Dean Moshier, and his wife, Jennifer. After starting with claimers, Matthews and Lightner decided to try buying yearlings.

“We decided to shift gears and try to be more of a stakes-racing stable,” Matthews said. “It’s something we really enjoyed and decided to expand. The dabbling with one horse has become an entire racing stable. We’re breeding some mares now as well as having racehorses. It took a life of its own.”

Matthews and Lightner race under the “In the Pink Racing” stable name because both of their mothers, Helen Matthews and Geneva Fisher, are breast cancer survivors. Their horses’ names usually include “pink” and they race wearing pink.

“It’s really just to promote breast cancer awareness and as a reminder all women should get tested,” Matthews said, adding the stable hopes to begin donating a portion of its profits to breast cancer organizations in the future.

“Danny takes some ribbing about the pink, but he’s getting used to it now. It’s all good natured.”

Pink Magic, a daughter of The Panderosa out of the mare LT’s Magic, was purchased as a yearling for $1,800 at the Blooded Horse Sale in Ohio. LT’s Magic won the 2004 Shady Daisy at Freehold Raceway in New Jersey and was a multiple winner on the New York Sire Stakes circuit. Pink Magic’s half sister, Sammy’s Magic Girl, was a multiple Pennsylvania Sire Stakes winner.

“Her mom had won over $200,000 and I thought (Pink Magic) looked like a fairly correct filly,” Matthews said. “We brought her back to the farm and broke her ourselves before we sent her to Danny. We sort of enjoy that, having hands on and breaking them, and really participating in their development. For us, being able to be part of it and see them and be interactive.

“I can’t say enough about Danny as far as being on board and welcoming us as owners. It’s worked out to be a super relationship.”

Pink Magic gave Matthews and Lightner their first stakes victory in the Standardbred, which was made additionally special because of the proximity to Columbus and the fact Hall of Fame driver John Campbell was the driver. Pink Magic won at odds of nearly 16-1.

“It was thrilling and totally unexpected,” Matthews said. “She had shown she was starting to figure things out and coming on, so we thought she earned her way into the race. We thought she could get a check, but the race set up well. She had some racing luck and John Campbell drove her really well and guided her home. He really showed her the way and she responded.

“Being close to home is why we wanted to point her to the Courageous Lady, because it’s kind of in our backyard,” she added. “Our friends and family can go and see our horse race in a bigger race.”

In addition to the Courageous Lady, Pink Magic is staked to the Jugette — at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in September — as well as races in Indiana and Kentucky.

“She’s a personality-plus filly,” Matthews said. “She likes a lot of attention. She wants you to feed her treats and pet her, and if you don’t she’ll reach out and grab you.

“She’s a princess.”

Courageous Lady-First Division
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Odds
1-Nelly Hanover-Dan Charlino-Ron Potter-20-1
2-Some Girls Do-Dave Palone–Ron Burke-3-5
3-Sand Starla-Greg Grismore-Tye Loy-6-1
4-Nutmegs Yankee-Ryan Stahl-Brian Brown-10-1
5-Hi Maintenancechic-Aaron Merriman-Jonathan Gangell-4-1
6-Ok Dynasty-Mark MacDonald-Robert Young-8-1
7-Pink Magic-Mike Wilder-Danny Collins-12-1

Courageous Lady-Second Division
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Odds
1-Real Joy-Eric Carlson-Mike Watson-12-1
2-Southwest-Travis Seekman-Ray Moyer-6-1
3-I Kill Time-Kurt Sugg-Robin Schadt-2-1
4-Stash The Cash-Aaron Merriman-Jeffrey Long-5-2
5-Cinder Angelina-Mark MacDonald-Steve Carter-20-1
6-Musette Mindale-Mike Wilder-Norm Parker-10-1
7-Latin Lyric-Greg Grismore-Brian Brown-8-1