One contest is over – and another important vote is coming up.
In the eighth episode of “Fika with Jonas,” which airs on YouTube, trainer Jonas Czernyson reveals the winner of the Name the Foal Contest and makes an appeal for support for the November 8 ballot question for the expansion of gaming to North Jersey.
More than five hundred names were submitted for the first son of multiple stakes winner Mistery Woman, bred by the Czernysons’ Millstream Farm in Allentown, NJ and co-owned by Michael Taranto. Mistery Woman raced from 2012 to 2015, posting 11 wins, two seconds and 10 thirds in 39 starts, earned $480,360 and trotted to her 1:51 world record for four-year-olds in the Allerage at Kentucky’s Red Mile. She was mated to 2009 Horse of the Year and Hambletonian winner Muscle Hill.
The winning name is Hillofamistery, which was submitted by Janis Joseph-McGhee of Aiken, SC.
“We were overwhelmed by the wonderful response to the contest,” said Christine Czernyson, who oversees the breeding operations.
The upcoming vote of concern to the Czernysons as both horse people and New Jersey residents is the ballot question before New Jersey voters. If approved, it would bring up to two casinos to the northern portion of the state.
“We need to bring the money back to New Jersey,” said Jonas Czernyson. “Approving the ballot question would help to preserve 15,000 horse-related jobs and bring another 40,000 jobs to the state as well as $500 million in annual revenue. It’s important for the preservation of horse farms, which represent nearly 25 percent of the state’s agricultural land.”
Fika is the Swedish word for a coffee break, and Swedish-born trainer Jonas Czernyson, who is stabled at Winners Training Center in Chesterfield, NJ, is the star of the monthly series produced and hosted by Cody Bach Productions.
Questions and comments may be sent to Christine and Jonas Czernyson through the Team JC Stable page on Facebook, @teamjcstable on Twitter or by email to [email protected].
(Team JC)