Four New Jersey Sire Stakes champions will be crowned on Friday night when the Meadowlands hosts the $150,000 finals for two-year-olds on closing night of the 2012 meet.
The special early first-race post time is 6:35 p.m.
Corky, who won both of his NJSS prelims and was second by a neck in the $387,250 Peter Haughton Memorial, has been installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite in the final for two-year-old trotting colts and geldings, carded as Race 1.
The son of Muscles Yankee, driven by David Miller and trained by Jimmy Takter, has two wins and four seconds from six starts. He races in the name of Christina Takter of East Windsor, NJ, and John and Jim Fielding of Toronto, Ont.
The stakes record for trotting colts is 1:56 (Yankee Glide in 1996) and for geldings is 1:57 (Shadow in 2000).
Shared Past, a daughter of Chocolatier, was a wire-to-wire winner in her last start, a NJSS preliminary leg, and goes into the final, Race 3, as the 3-1 morning line pick. She trotted that mile in 1:55.4, one tick off the stakes record of 1:55.3 established in 1995 by Act Of Grace.
Owned by WJ Donovan of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the Jonas Czernyson trainee is in the hands of Yannick Gingras. She has one win, one second and one third from four starts.
The pacing fillies go postward in the fifth race with both Authorize and Sombodythatiustono putting three-race winning streaks on the line.
Authorize, who will start from the rail with Brian Sears, has three wins and a second in her six starts. The Tony Alagna-trained daughter of Western Ideal, who gets the nod as the slight 3-1 favourite, won both of her NJSS prelims and has banked $33,010 for owner-breeders Brittany Farms of Versailles, KY and the Brian Monieson Trust of Northbrook, IL.
Sombodythatiustono, also trained by Alagna, is unbeaten in three starts, including two NJSS legs and a division of the Arden. She is rated 7-2 from Post 3 with Andy Miller at the lines.
The daughter of Tell All is owned by Alagna Racing LLC of Steger, IL and Jodi Siamis of Marion, IA.
Jerseylicious, a Western Ideal filly driven by Corey Callahan and trained by Wayne Givens, is the richest of the finalists thanks to a victory in the $268,300 Sweetheart. She has been on the board in all five starts for Legacy Racing of Delaware and Pamela Curran of Milford, DE. She is listed at 4-1 from Post 8.
The stakes record of 1:51.1 belongs to Pirouette Hanover (Western Ideal), established in 2011.
The winners of last week’s three divisions of prelims, all sons of Rocknroll Hanover, face off in the pacing colts and geldings final, the sixth race.
Linesmaker Darin Zoccali has given the 5-2 edge to Johny Rock from Post 7 with Tim Tetrick driving the John Butenschoen trainee.
Johny Rock has won his last two starts and now has three wins and two seconds in five starts for William Wiswell of Elkhorn, WI; Jean Goeshien of Aurora, IL and Eugene Schick of Elgin, IL.
Rockin Amadeus, 7-2 from Post 2, picked up his first win in his second career start, his NJSS split.
Owned and bred by Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ont., Rockin Amadeus will be driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Jimmy Takter. The ownership includes Louis Wilinger of Louisville, KY; Eagles Soar Partners of Staten Island, NY; Alagna Racing LLC and the Wake Up Peter Partners of Millstone, NJ.
Wake Up Peter, saddled with Post 10, is trained by Alagna and driven by Ron Pierce. His first win came in his second start, his NJSS debut last week. He is rated 9-2 in the morning line.
The stakes record for pacing colts of 1:50.2 was set by Duneside Perch in 2007 while the gelding record of 1:53 is shared by Fancy Creek Storm (1997) and Western Ace (2005).
The stakes-filled card also includes $191,500 Moni Maker for three-year-old trotting fillies, the $218,850 Golden Girls for pacing mares, the $431,400 William R. Haughton Memorial older pacers, the $40,000 Miss Versatility for trotting mares and the opening leg of the Vernon-Meadowlands Driving Championship.
A Racing Under Saddle (RUS) exhibition will be offered between the second and third races. Sponsoring the $5,500 purse are Valley High Stables; Andy and Julie Miller Stable, Meadowbrook Horse Transportation and the Patty Hogan Equine Clinic.
The $150,000 NJSS finals, with sires, drivers, trainers and morning line odds:
1st Race – 2YO Colts & Geldings Trot
1-Super Classic, Muscles Yankee, DR Ackerman, DR Ackerman, 12-1
2-Timo Deo, Muscles Yankee, Trond Smedshammer, Trond Smedshammer, 9-2
3-King Muscles, Muscles Yankee, Ron Pierce, Aaron Lambert, 8-1
4-Corky, Muscles Yankee, David Miller, Jimmy Takter, 4-5
5-Amalfi Coast, Muscles Yankee, Brian Sears, 15-1
6-Deadliest Catch, Chocolatier, John Campbell, John Duer, 7-2
3rd Race – 2YO Fillies Trot
1-Vida De Vie, Muscles Yankee, David Miller, Chris Ryder, 12-1
2-Vintage Oaks, Muscles Yankee, Corey Callahan, Trond Smedshammer, 12-1
3-With Sugar, Muscles Yankee, Jimmy Takter, Jimmy Takter, 8-1
4-Silver Credit, Muscles Yankee, George Brennan, Randy Beeckman, 15-1
5-Miss Steele, Muscles Yankee, Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 4-1
6-Time To Kill, Muscles Yankee, John Campbell, Ross Croghan, 15-1
7-Southwind Cocoa, Chocolatier, Tim Tetrick, Linda Toscano, 6-1
8-Shared Past, Chocolatier, Yannick Gingras, Jonas Czernyson, 3-1
9-Find The Magic, Chocolatier, Brian Sears, Dane Snyder, 6-1
10-Lady Dynamite, Muscles Yankee, Ron Pierce, Mark Harder, 9-2
5th Race – 2YO Fillies Pace
1-Authorize, Western Ideal, Brian Sears, Tony Alagna, 5-2
2-Miss Lauren, Cams Card Shark, David Miller, Casie Coleman, 6-1
3-Sombodythatiustono, Tell All, Andy Miller, Tony Alagna, 7-2
4-Ideal A Little, Western Ideal, Ron Pierce, Sam DePinto, 10-1
5-Artomatic Love, Western Ideal, Jim Morrill Jr., Michael Hall, 15-1
6-Isle of Shoals, Rocknroll Hanover, George Brennan, Nifty Norman, 20-1
7-Ideal Ginny, Western Ideal, Tim Tetrick, Erv Miller, 8-1
8-Jerseylicious, Western Ideal, Corey Callahan, Wayne Givens, 4-1
9-Hilarious Hayley, Rocknroll Hanover, Sylvain Filion, Brad Shakes, 10-1
10-Certified Ideal, Western Ideal, John Campbell, Thomas Haughton, 20-1
6th Race – 2YO Colts & Geldings Pace
1-Don’t Ya Know, Western Ideal, David Miller, Joe Holloway, 8-1
2-Rockin Amadeus, Rocknroll Hanover, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter, 7-2
3-Troon, Rocknroll Hanover, John Campbell, John Butenschoen, 12-1
4-Cyclone, Rocknroll Hanover, Jim Morrill Jr., Tony Alagna, 10-1
5-Rocky Mountain Guy, Rocknroll Hanover, George Brennan, Nifty Norman, 20-1
6-Emeritus Maximus, Rocknroll Hanover, Andy Miller, Tony Alagna, 15-1
7-Johny Rock, Rocknroll Hanover, Tim Tetrick, John Butenschoen, 5-2
8-Ralbar, Rocknroll Hanover, Corey Callahan, Rene Allard, 20-1
9-Rocknmyjeans, Rocknroll Hanover, Brian Sears, Tony Alagna, 5-1
10-Wake Up Peter, Rocknroll Hanover, Ron Pierce, Tony Alagna, 9-2
(SBOANJ)