The first New Jersey Sires Stakes events of the year were
the three year old colt & filly trots on Friday night at The Meadowlands.
Smilin Eli made
his first career start a stakes winning endeavor by wearing down the Takter
entry of Muscle Mountain and Corky to score in 1:54.4 in the $34,000 colt
division.
A homebred from
Nick Cimino's multiple stakes winning mare Gerri's Joy, Smilin Eli showed
promise enough in two qualifiers to be sent away as the second choice in the
wagering. Tim Tetrick reserved the Muscles Yankee colt just off the sensible
fractions before fanning wide in the stretch for the win.
Deshawn Minor
handles the winner, who offers a world of promise.
The filly
division held an even dozen the bulk resulted in a contested pace. The outside
three looked like logical contenders and Shared Past took over from Southwind
Cocoa just past the quarter. Left without a seat was Time To Kill, who rode
along comfortably in the outer tier for the duration.
The fractions
were sensible and despite the pressure, Shared Past held up comfortably in
1:53.4 for Yannick Gingras. Vintage Oaks split horses late for the place and
Southwind Cocoa was third.
Trainer Jonas
Czernyson has been on some roll since returning from his winter base in
Florida. He conditions the winner, a Chocolatier three quarter sister to the
million dollar winning Dejarmbro for W. J. Donovan of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Friday's handle
showed a 36-percent increase from the same Friday in 2012, with one additional
race. There was only one winning ticket
in the late pick four at The Meadowlands, returning $53,201 for a $1 bet. The bet was placed at The Meadowlands, but unfortunately
the winner was not a Big M Club Rewards member, so he did not get the chance to
collect on the 10-percent bonus, all the more reason to sign up for a Big M
Club Rewards card!
Racing returns on
Saturday featuring the $180,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial Final, the $100,000
Meadowlands Maturity for Pacers and New Jersey Sire Stakes actions continues
for the three year old colt and filly pacers.
Post time is 7:15 P.M.
