Spam Spade, fresh off a victory in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes, has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favourite in the $51,390 New Jersey Futurity for three-year-old trotters Friday, October 10 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.
The field features three colts, four geldings and one filly.
Spam Spade, a gelded son of Dream Vacation-Chynatown, has five wins and two seconds in 11 starts this year. Lifetime he has finished in-the-money in 10 of 19 starts.
The trotter won the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final at Freehold on September 5 before heading to Delaware, Ohio where he was second in the Old Oaken Bucket.
His victory in a $106,200 Bluegrass division at Lexington's Red Mile on September 27 was in a lifetime best of 1:53.3. He also set a track and New Jersey Sire Stakes record of 1:55.4 when he won at Freehold on August 15.
Spam Spade races for the Andy Miller Stable Inc. of Millstone Township, New Jersey and is driven by Andy Miller and trained by his wife, Julie Miller. Bred by Perretti Farms of Cream Ridge, New Jersy, the three-year-old trotter was a $22,000 Harrisburg Sale yearling purchase.
Muscle Shirt, who won the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final for three-year-old trotting fillies on September 18, is rated 7-2 from Post 2.
The Chuck Sylvester trainee has five wins, one second and two thirds from 14 outings this year for owners Irving Liverman of Hampstead, Quebec; Neal Goldman of Washington Township, New Jersey; Alan Caplan of Manalapan, New Jersey and Keith Dickstein of Las Vegas, Nevada.
The daughter of Muscles Yankee- Paisley Yankee, also bred by Perretti Farms, won the $70,000 Helen Smith final on August 15 at Freehold. She is partnered with driver Jeff Gregory.
Swift Kid, who is by Yankee Glide, dominated the New Jersey Sire Stakes - Green Acres and brings a six-race winning streak into the Futurity. He will leave from Post 7 with Jack Baggitt Jr. The Ray Remmen-trainee is rated 10-1 in the morning line.
(With files from the SBOA of New Jersey)