In a battle to the wire, 2-1 Katies Rocker slipped up the pylons to nip 1-2 Ideal Rocky in the $30,000 New Jersey Futurity for two-year-old pacers, the featured sixth race on Saturday, October 24 at Freehold Raceway.
Ideal Rocky, winner of the Lou Babic at Freehold and a division of the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile, took the lead from Katies Rocker before the half and was leading well into the stretch. But then Jim Marohn Jr. moved the pocket-sitting Katies Rocker up the pylons to win the tight photo finish by a nose. It was a length and a quarter back to Dontcallmefrancis in third. The time of the race was 1:55.3.
The top three finishers are all sons of the late Rocknroll Hanover.
Katies Rocker ($6.80), trained by Jim Campbell, posted his fifth win to go along with two seconds in 10 starts. A winner of divisions of the Reynolds and Bluegrass Stakes, he is owned by his breeder, Fashion Farms LLC of New Hope, Pennsylvania. The victory lifted his earnings to $134,348.
The New Jersey Futurity is sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
(SBOANJ)