Muscle Shirt, the lone filly in the field of eight, was on the lead at every call to win the $51,390 New Jersey Futurity for three-year-old trotters, the featured seventh race on Friday at Freehold Raceway.
The New Jersey Futurity is restricted to offspring of New Jersey stallions and is sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
Muscle Shirt, driven by Jeff Gregory, drew away to a two and three-quarter length victory in 1:56.2, matching her lifetime best.
The Chuck Sylvester trainee has six wins, one second and two thirds from 15 outings this year, banking $200,258 toward a career total of $244,338 for owners Irving Liverman of Hampstead, Quebec; Neal Goldman of Washington Township, NJ; Alan Caplan of Manalapan, NJ and Keith Dickstein of Las Vegas, NV.
The daughter of Muscles Yankee – Paisley Yankee, bred by Perretti Farms of Cream Ridge, NJ, won the $70,000 Helen Smith Final on August 15 and the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final for three-year-old trotting fillies on September 18, both at Freehold.
A pair of Yankee Glide colts, Native Yankee, was placed second, and Shutter Boy, was placed third, both benefitting from a Judges’ inquiry. Rin Tin Cin [Muscles Yankee] broke stride and ran through the stretch. He was disqualified from second and placed fourth.
Muscle Shirt paid $8.40, $4.20, $3.00; Native Yankee returned $7.40, $5.60 and Shutter Boy $5.60.
Frankies Dream won the $10,000 Lou Babic Memorial Filly Preview.
Should she capture next week’s final, she would match her full-sister, Happy Dreamer, who accomplished the same feat for the same team in 2007.
All eight of the Preview entrants will advance to the $82,410 Babic Filly Final, the co-feature with the $128,875 Babic Open Final on October 18 at Freehold. Both events are for two-year-old pacers by New Jersey stallions and are sponsored by the New Jersey Sire Stakes.
Like Happy Dreamer, who won in 2007, Frankies Dream is by McArdle and out of the mare Im Not Dreamin. Both fillies are owned by their breeder, Frank Lomangino’s Lomangino Standardbreds of Tinton Falls, NJ. Both are trained by Julie Miller and driven by Andy Miller.
Frankies Dream, who won the New Jersey Sire Stakes – Green Acres Final on September 26, paced a 1:56.3 mile, her lifetime best, in winning the Babic Filly Preview, improving her record to five wins and one second in six career starts for earnings of $40,000.
Smilesplace [by Artsplace] was a neck back in second with two and a quarter lengths to Dream McQueen [McArdle] in third. The final will also include Dawns Legacy [Western Ideal], Lilly Langtree [Life Sign], Annie Mac [McArdle], Quick Little Miss [Artiscape] and Arbeedo [Artsplace].
The Babic Filly stakes record of 1:55.1 was set by Happy Dreamer in 2007.
There were only four entrants for the colts division and all will have spots on the gate for the final. They are Champs Folly [Artiscape], Fireintheshark [Cams Card Shark], McArdles Star [McArdle] and Sir Arthur [Artsplace]. The Babic Open stakes record of 1:53.2 was established by Western Ace [Western Ideal] in 2005.
(With files from NJSS & SBOANJ)