Trainer Chris Ryder will send out a pair of Muscle Hill colts that have been rated the 9-5 morning line favourites in the $55,000 Charles I. Smith Trot (Race 7) on Friday, September 12 at Freehold Raceway.

The Charles I. Smith is restricted to New Jersey-sired three-year-old trotters and is sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.

Ryder will sit behind Well Built (Post 2), while Gregory Merton will be at the lines of Muscle On It (Post 1).

Well Built was second in the $60,000 Zweig at Vernon Downs in his last outing on August 29 and brings a record of three wins, two seconds and one third from 15 starts this year, earning $52,350 toward a career total of $156,047 for Ryder and co-owner Robert Mondillo of Delaware, OH.

Ryder and Mondillo share ownership of Muscle On In with Max Wernick of New City, NY. Muscle On In will be making his third start of the year and looking for his first cheque of 2014. At two, he won four of 12 starts and banked $62,566.

Hillustrious, also by Muscle Hill, will start from the outside Post 7 with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Ron Burke. He is listed at 2-1 on the morning line with four wins, two seconds and a third in 10 starts this year, adding nearly $50,000 toward total earnings of more than $72,000 for the partnership of Deo Volente Farms of Flemington, NJ; Rivers Stable Inc. of East Windsor, NJ, and TLP Stable of Kearny, NJ.

The stakes record for the Smith of 1:55.4 was set in 2010 by Flex The Muscle.

The field for the $55,000 Charles I. Smith – with betting number, post number, driver and morning line odds – appears below.

1 – 1 – Muscle On It – Gregory Merton – 9-5
1A – 2 – Well Built – Chris Ryder – 9-5
2 – 3 – Skates N Plates – Trond Smedshammer – 5-1
3 – 4 – Opulent Yankee – Ake Svanstedt – 6-1
4 – 5 – Choco Sun – Jim Meittinis – 12-1
5 – 6 – Angels Ransom – George Brennan – 7-1
6 – 7 – Hillustrious – Yannick Gingras – 2-1

Sharing the Friday card is a $7,000 opening leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes-Green Acres for two-year-old trotting fillies (Race 3).

Demons N Diamonds by Muscle Hill, driven by Daniel Dube and trained by John McDermott Jr., is the 8-5 morning line favourite from Post 5 in the field of seven fillies, four of whom are by Muscles Yankee and two by Muscle Hill.

(SBOANJ)