Flex The Muscle extended his winning streak to four and posted a stakes record in the $80,000 Charles I. Smith Trot, the featured second race on Friday, September 10 at Freehold Raceway
.
Driver David Miller moved Flex The Muscle quickly to the lead, held it at every call, and they drew off to a four and three-quarter length victory over Flashback (by Classic Photo) with Andy Miller and Jetblue Volo (Yankee Glide) with Cat Manzi.
Flex The Muscle, a three-year-old son of Muscles Yankee, trotted the mile in 1:55.4, erasing the previous stakes record of 1:57 established in 2007 by Princetonian. The time of the mile was just one-fifth of a second off the three-year-old trotting colt track record held by Keystone Activator and Anders Bluestone.
In August, Flex The Muscle, trained by Ray Schnittker, swept two preliminary legs and the $100,000 final of New Jersey Sire Stakes at Freehold. He now has six wins and three seconds in 14 starts this year.
The victory pushed his career bankroll of $383,949 for Schnittker and his partners, Jerry Silva of Long Beach, New York and Arden Homestead Stable of Delhi, New York.
Sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, the Charles I. Smith was named in memory of a New Jersey harness racing pioneer, founder of the New Jersey Sire Stakes program and owner of trotters.
(With files from SBOANJ)