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Saturday, July 4, 2015

CAMPBELL GUIDES THREE WINNERS IN NJSS ACTION

By Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ


MANALAPAN, NJ – July 3, 2015 – Veteran driver John Campbell expertly guided a trio of first-time starters to victory in first round New Jersey Sire Stakes for two-year-olds on Friday night, July 3, 2015 at the Meadowlands.

Hall of Famer Campbell won with filly pacer Rock My Girl in the $25,000 first race, colt trotter Jack Vernon in the $20,000 fourth race and colt pacer Boston Red Rocks in the $25,000 fifth race.

Rock My Girl [$9.20] was a length and a half winner over Blue Moon Stride.  It was three and a half lengths to Show Time Hill in third.  All three fillies are daughters of Rocknroll Hanover.

Trained by Casie Coleman, Rock My Girl paced the mile in 1:53.3, tossing in a last quarter in 27.1. 

Owned by West Wins Stable, Adriano Sorella and Ron Broadstone, she was a $20,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase.

Jack Vernon [$6.60], a Muscle Hill son of Vernon Blue Chip, trotted his mile in 1:57.2, finishing a half-length ahead of Dominion Beach [Muscle Hill].  Southwind Flash [Muscle Hill], who won both of his baby races and was the betting favorite, was third by three quarters of a length.

Racing in the name of Miller’s Stable Inc. of Leburn, KY, Jack Vernon is trained by Randy Beeckman and was purchased out of the Lexington Selected Sale for $50,000.

Boston Red Rocks [$5.80] was a two and a quarter length winner over Katies Rocker.  It was two and three-quarter lengths to Ideal Rocky in third.  All three are sons of Rocknroll Hanover.

The Steve Elliott-trainee paced the mile in 1:53.2.  Purchased for $50,000 out of the Harrisburg Sale, Boston Red Rocks races in the name of Rick Berks of Boca Raton, FL.

In other New Jersey Sire Stakes divisions for trotters, Southwind Frank [$3.00] won the $20,000 second race for colts and Hollywood Hill [$14.40] captured the $20,000 sixth race for fillies.

Southwind Frank, driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Ron Burke, prevailed by a head over Brooklyn Hill in a stretch duel that featured a 26.3 final panel in a 1:56.3 mile.  It was two and a half lengths to Bar Hopping in third.  All three are sons of Muscle Hill. 

Southwind Frank, a $100,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase, belongs to the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Our Horse Cents Stables and J&T Silva Stables. 

Hollywood Hill, driven and trained by Jimmy Takter, coasted to a two and a half-length tally over Southwind Adele.  It was three and three-quarter lengths to Silvia in third.  The three fillies are all daughters of Muscle Hill.  The mile was timed in 1:56.2.

The winner is owned by breeder Goran Falk of Allentown, NJ.

In the last division, the $20,000 ninth race for trotting fillies, Gifted Lady [$4.40] was a length winner over Dream Child in 1:57.4.  Skara Brae was third by five and a half lengths. 

All three fillies are daughters of Muscle Hill.

Jimmy Takter drives and traines Gifted Lady, for owner-breeder Silver Linden Farms of Woodburn, IN.

The two-year-olds have another week of prelims before meeting in $100,000 finals on July 17, 2015 at the Meadowlands.