In a torrential summer downpour on Woodbine's Tapeta, Living Magic captured her first stakes win in the $125,000 My Dear Stakes for 2-year-old fillies on Saturday afternoon.
Kentucky-bred Living Magic, owned and bred by Henry Nothhaft and trained by Phil Schoenthal, had Rafael Hernandez aboard. Hernandez, who just surpassed 3,000 career wins on Friday, collected win 3,002.
Out of the gate, it was the Mark Casse trainees Stormcast and Dancing Duchess going out to the lead, followed by Living Magic in the center. Living Magic quickly made her way into second from the inside, a nose behind Stormcast with Dancing Duchess a length behind in third, while Kevin Attard trainee Bolt Enoree followed closely.
It was a battle between Stormcast and Living Magic at the quarter. Living Magic held the lead from the top of the stretch to the finish, with Stormcast, Bolt Enoree, and Dancing Duchess left challenging each other for the remaining positions. Living Magic won by a length from Dancing Duchess. Stormcast was third and Bolt Enoree fourth.
The final time was 1:03:55
It was the third lifetime start and second win for the Schoenthal-trained Living Magic, a Justify filly out of the Footstepsinthesand mare Living the Life. She was rebounding from a third in the Astoria Stakes June 11 at Belmont Park after taking her debut at Parx Racing May 1.
Schoenthal was happy to be at Woodbine for the first time.
“I've been trying to get up to Woodbine for a number of years and it had never quite worked out. I campaigned the mare of this horse and she won five stakes on all weather tracks, so besides the blinkers, I found if there was any horse with a pedigree that would step-up on an all weather track it was Living Magic”.
Living Magic paid $16.60 for the win.
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