Vic Smith, who won the New Jersey Sire Stakes crown as a two-year-old, makes his three-year-old debut on Friday night at the Meadowlands
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The son of Yankee Glide has drawn into the first race, the first of five opening leg divisions of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for three-year-old trotters. The colts and geldings occupy the first, second and fifth races while the fillies are carded as the third and sixth. The purses range from $17,000 to $20,500.
Vic Smith is also making his debut racing for owner Margareta Carlberg’s Mea Trav Inc of East Windsor, NJ, which acquired the colt on March 28 from the partnership of the Andy Miller Stable and Baron Racing Stable.
Julie Miller continues to train the colt, and Andy Miller is back in the sulky of Vic Smith who earned $213,275 last season with six wins, two seconds and one third from 11 starts.
The Hambletonian hopeful took his 1:56 mark at Vernon Downs, winning an elimination of the Kindergarten Series a week before finishing second in the $200,500 final on October 28.
His richest victory came in the $175,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final on July 16 at the Meadowlands, where he posted a 1:56.1 mile in his four and three-quarter length tally over Big Chocolate.
“Larry [Baron] and I decided if someone came up with a great offer, and it was worth our while, we would sell him,” Miller told Harness Racing Communications on the day of the sale. “Ole Bach had some Swedish interests that were looking for a nice three-year-old trotting colt, and that’s how it all developed. It still was a tough decision because even though it’s a business, when you’re with the horses day-to-day, you become attached to them, especially when a horse you’ve picked out at a yearling sale [for $30,000] has a great two-year-old year, and you are expecting a phenomenal three-year-old year.”
Vic Smith will leave from post four and is rated 5-2 in the morning line. The 3-2 early favourite is another son of Yankee Glide, Gym Tan Laundry, who defeated Vic Smith in the Kindergarten Final.
Market Share, who had his unbeaten streak snapped at six when he broke stride in the Dexter Cup on May 5 at Freehold, drew into the fifth race division and will leave from post eight in his Meadowlands debut.
Three-year-old pacers – colts and fillies – will be spotlighted in New Jersey Sire Stakes action on Saturday, May 19 at the Meadowlands.
(SBOANJ)