A quartet of $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for two-year-olds will help comprise a star-studded 13-race program, including the Meadowlands Pace, on Saturday, July 12 at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
It is early in the campaign for these two-year-olds, but already some of the divisional standouts are beginning to emerge.
Among the trotters – with 10 colts and geldings carded in the first race and seven fillies in the second race – the Muscles Yankee colt French Laundry has already distinguished himself with a stakes record-equalling 1:56 mile two weeks ago in the first leg of the NJSS.
The Jimmy Takter trainee, who will be driven by Takter, matched the mark set by Yankee Glide in 1996. He is rated 5-2 in the morning line and will start from the rail.
A $115,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase, he races for Christina Takter of East Windsor, NJ and Ontario-based John Fielding, Jim Fielding, Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld.
The Takter Stable also sends out Canepa Hanover (2-1 from Post 3) and Falk On Hill (15-1 from Post 9), both sons of Muscle Hill.
Driven by Yannick Gingras, Canepa Hanover, the odds-on choice in a division of last week’s second leg, broke stride and finished last after winning a baby race by nearly 19 lengths in 1:56.1. Guess Whos Back, by Muscles Yankee, won that race in 1:57 and will once again be partnered with Brian Sears, starting from Post 5 and rated 7-2 on the morning line.
Only seven fillies will go to the gate in their division, six of which are daughters of Muscle Hill, including 4-5 early favourite Mission Brief and 2-1 second choice Saturday Mornings.
Mission Brief, driven by Gingras and trained by Ron Burke, posted a stakes record 1:55.1, winning last week’s second leg by nine and three-quarter lengths over Saturday Mornings. She eclipsed Act Of Grace (1995) and Southwind Cocoa (2012) who shared the 1:55.3 NJSS record.
A $150,000 Lexington Selected yearling purchase, she is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, J&T Silva Stable and Weaver Bruscemi.
Saturday Mornings, driven by David Miller and trained by Joe Holloway, won an opening round split after Mission Brief broke stride, and was second in their rematch last week. Owned by Bluestone Farms of Hopewell, NJ, she was a $32,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase.
The NJSS finals bracket the card with the pacing colts and geldings occupying the 11th race and the pacing fillies the final event on the 13-race card.
In the colts division, Dealt A Winner, by Cams Card Shark, captured both of his preliminary leg starts; Artspeak, by Western Ideal, won his debut appearance last week; and Weapons Dealer, also by Western Ideal, scored two weeks ago. They are the linesmaker’s top choices.
Dealt A Winner, driven by Miller and trained by Ed Hart, will start from Post 4 and is rated 5-2. A $35,000 Harrisburg yearling owned by Jeffrey Snyder, who raced his sire, Dealt A Winner, won his first start on the front end in 1:52.4 and his second from off the pace in 1:53.4.
Artspeak, who debuted last week and won by two and a quarter lengths in 1:53.3, is a Tony Alagna trainee entrusted to driver Scott Zeron. A $100,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase, he is co-owned by Brittany Farms, Marvin Katz, Joe Sbrocco and the In the Gym Partners. He drew Post 8 and is 3-1 on the morning line.
Weapons Dealer, a 1:54.2 winner, will start from Post 7 with Brett Miller driving for trainer Isaac Waxman. He was a $10,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase from the White Birch Farm consignment for Brenda Waxman and Aaron Waxman. He is listed at 7-2 in the field of 10.
The fillies close out the card with nine hopefuls, including Stacia Hanover, 2-1 on the morning line from Post 6, with Zeron at the lines.
The Western Ideal filly, trained by Steve Elliott, has won both of her NJSS starts, banking $37,750 for Ohioans David Van Dusen and Michael Cimaglio, who acquired her for $35,000 at the Harrisburg Sale.
The Saturday night card at the Meadowlands has an early post time of 6:30 p.m. It features seven Grand Circuit stakes in addition to the four NJSS finals, with total purses in excess of $2.5 million.
The $776,000 Meadowlands Pace will be broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network from 9-10 p.m. and the whole card will be featured on the TVG Network.
(SBOANJ)