Four-year-old Doo Wop Hanover has paced sub-1:49 miles in four of his last five races. His trainer, Steve Elliott, has said that his stablemate, two-year-old Boston Red Rocks, is better than what ‘Doo Wop’ was at this point in his career.
Boston Red Rocks, who won both of his preliminary legs, will seek to extend his unbeaten streak to three in the $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship for pacing colts, the first of four finals for two-year-olds on Friday, July 17 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
He has been installed as the 3-5 morning line favourite with John Campbell driving from Post 2 in the second race, which has six starters.
“He’s a nice little colt, so far anyway,” Elliott said. “We’ll find out. He does everything right. He’s good-gaited, he’s handy, he’s just a nice colt. Peter Blood broke him, owns him, and sent him to me. He said to see what I could do with him.
“He’s three-for-three with us – a qualifier and two races – and it’s hard not to like that kind,” Elliott added. “He’s not flashy. He’s a good-looking colt, but he just does what he needs to do. He’s still a little green, but so far it’s not hard to like him because he’s done everything right. He’s good in his stall. He jumps around and plays, like most colts, but I told Peter after I qualified him that I think he’s better than Doo Wop (Hanover) was at this stage. Peter said I was nuts. Only time will tell, but at this stage he is better than Doo Wop was. He’s more manageable, he’s smarter; he just does everything right.”
In the other divisions, Hollywood Hill, trained and driven by Jimmy Takter, is the slight 3-1 morning line favourite from Post 8 in the filly trot (Race 4). David Miller will handle Hollywood Hill for trainer Jonas Czernyson, the 2-1 pick from Post 4 in the colt trot (Race 7). Blue Moon Stride at 6-5 and Rock My Girl at 8-5 are early choices in the filly pace (Race 11). Blue Moon Stride will be driven by Andrew McCarthy for Mark Harder from Post 6, while John Campbell will handle the Casie Coleman-trained Rock My Girl from Post 3.
On the pacing side, all of the six colts are by the late Rocknroll Hanover and all but one of the seven fillies are his daughters.
Two colts and two fillies are by Muscles Yankee, while his son, Muscle Hill, sired the balance of the trotters in the 10-horse fields.
The fields appear below.
(SBOANJ, with quotes from Harness Racing Communication, a division of the USTA)