by Carol Hodes
MANALAPAN, NJ – September
11, 2014 – Trainer Chris Ryder sends out a pair of Muscle Hill colts, rated the
9-5 morning line favorites in the $55,000 Charles I. Smith Trot, the seventh
race on Friday, September 12, 2014 at Freehold Raceway.
The Charles I. Smith is
restricted to New Jersey-sired three-year-old trotters and sponsored by the
Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
Ryder will sit behind Well
Built, leaving from post two, while Gregory Merton will be at the lines of
Muscle On It from the rail.
Well Built was second in the
$60,000 Zweig at Vernon Downs in his last outing on August 29 and brings a
record of three wins, two seconds and one third from 15 starts this year,
earning $52,350 toward a career total of $156,047 for Ryder and co-owner Robert
Mondillo of Delaware, OH.
Ryder and Mondillo share ownership
of Muscle On In with Max Wernick of New City, NY. Muscle On In will be
making his third start of the year and looking for his first check of
2014. At two, he won four of 12 starts and banked $62,566.
Hillustrious, also by Muscle
Hill, leaves from outside post seven with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer
Ron Burke. He is listed at 2-1 in the morning line with four wins, two
seconds and a third in 10 starts this year, adding nearly $50,000 toward total
earnings of more than $72,000 for the partnership of Deo Volente Farms of
Flemington, NJ; Rivers Stable Inc. of East Windsor, NJ and TLP Stable of
Kearny, NJ.
The stakes record for the
Smith of 1:55.4 was set in 2010 by Flex The Muscle [Muscles Yankee].
The field for the $55,000
Charles I. Smith with betting number, post number, sire, driver, trainer and
morning line odds:
1-1-Muscle On It-Muscle
Hill-Gregory Merton-Chris Ryder-9-5
1A-2-Well Built-Muscle
Hill-Chris Ryder-Chris Ryder-9-5
2-3-Skates N
Plates-Revenue-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer-5-1
3-4-Opulent Yankee-Muscles
Yankee-Ake Svanstedt-AkeSvantedt-6-1
4-5-Choco
Sun-Chocolatier-Jim Meittinis-Orjan Torstensson-12-1
5-6-Angels
Ransom-Revenue-George Brennan-Roland Mallar-7-1
6-7-Hillustrious-Muscle
Hill-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke-2-1
Sharing the Friday card is a
$7,000 opening leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes-Green Acres for two-year-old
trotting fillies, carded as the third race.
Demons N Diamonds by Muscle
Hill, driven by Daniel Dube and trained by John McDermott Jr., is the 8-5 morning
line favorite from post five in the field of seven fillies, four of whom are by
Muscles Yankee and two by Muscle Hill.
