For Opinion, click here for View from the Racetrack Grandstand

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Sire Stakes Headline Friday Night At The Meadowlands

 by Carol Hodes for the SBOANJ and Meadowlands Media Relations


A pair of Jimmy Takter trained and driven trotters reached the winner’s circle and the pacer Boston Red Rocks remained unbeaten as two-year-olds in six divisions of the New Jersey Sire Stakes were in the spotlight at the Meadowlands on Friday, July 10, 2015.

Silvia [$4.60] rallied in the final eighth of the mile to post her first career win in her second start, a $20,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes for trotting fillies, the first race.

The daughter of Muscle Hill- My Favorite Chip, driven by Matt Kakaley and trained by Ron Burke, trotted the mile in 1:56.2, finishing a half-length ahead of Everything N More [Muscle Hill] and two and a half lengths up on Energy Bar [Muscles Yankee] in third. 

A $100,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, Silvia races in the name of Burke Racing Stable, Weaver-Bruscemi, J&T Silva Stables and Joe DiScala Jr.  She was bred by Steve Stewart and Junior Yutzy.

Brooklyn Hill [$2.20] delivered like a 1-9 favorite, coasting by the pacesetter Southwind Flash [Muscle Hill] for a two and a quarter length victory in the second race, a $20,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes for trotting colts and geldings.  Sigmund [Muscles Yankee] was third by four and a half lengths.

David Miller guided Brooklyn Hill to the 1:56.4 clocking.  He tipped the trotter out at the top of the stretch and hand drove him to victory. 

The Muscle Hill - Brooklyn colt, trained by Jonas Czernyson, had finished second by a head in his first start in the opening round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes.  Bred by the Order By Stable, he was a $390,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase for the SRF Stable of Boca Raton, FL.

All The Time [$5.00] had the lead at every call and expanded that advantage with driver-trainer Jimmy Takter at the controls.  The Muscle Hill-Cantab It All filly won the third race, the second $20,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes division for trotting fillies.

All The Time finished a length and three-quarters ahead of Silent Blessings [Muscles Yankee], and it was two and three-quarters to Dream Child [Muscle Hill] in third. 

Bred and owned by Marvin Katz and Al J. Libfeld, she now has a win in two starts.

Boston Red Rocks [$2.60] was tested a bit early and pressured on the turn for home and into the stretch but in the end, drew away like a 1-5 shot in the $25,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes division for pacing colts and geldings, the fourth race.

Unbeaten in two starts, Boston Red Rocks, a son of Rocknroll Hanover – McGibson, paced the mile in 1:52.2, with Hall of Famer John Campbell driving the Steve Elliott-trainee.

Katies Rocker, who made the last turn challenge, was three and a half lengths back in second at the wire.  Winning Linc was third by seven lengths.  Both are also sons of Rocknroll Hanover.

Bred by Andray Farm, Boston Red Rocks was a $50,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase by Floridians Peter Blood and Rick Berks.

Jimmy Takter was back in the winner’s circle as the driver-trainer of Bar Hopping [$7.80], who passed 1-5 favorite Southwind Frank in the stretch and held off the challenge of Marion Marauder in the final strides of the sixth race, the $20,000 second New Jersey Sire Stakes division for trotting colts and geldings.

Bar Hopping, a son of Muscle Hill – Cocktail Hour, trotted the mile in 1:56.3, finishing a neck ahead of Marion Marauder [Muscle Hill].  It was a length back to Waitlifter K [Muscles Yankee] in third. 

Southwind Frank broke stride in the final sixteenth, finished fourth across the wire but was placed sixth for failing to lose ground.

Bred by Douglass Hutchins, Bar Hopping was a $190,000 Harrisburg acquisition by Christina Takter, Hatfield Stables, Marvin Katz and Al J. Libfeld.  The colt now has a win and a third in his two starts. 

Blue Moon Stride [$8.40], driven by Andrew McCarthy and trained by Mark Harder, fired to the front and scored a gate-to-wire victory in the $25,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes for pacing fillies, the 11th race.

The daughter of Rocknroll Hanover – Classic Star paced the mile in 1:53.1, improving her record to a win and a second in two starts. 

It was a length back to Show Time Hill [Rocknroll Hanover] in second while 2-5 favorite Rock My Girl [Rocknroll Hanover], who won the opening leg last week, was third by two and a half lengths. 

Bred by Perretti Farms, Blue Moon Stride races for Australians Emilio and Maria Rosali

A quartet of $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Finals for two-year-olds takes place next Friday night at the Meadowlands. 

Request For Parole took the featured event for older horses on Friday night, winning an upper-level condition pacing event for fillies and mares quite impressively.

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite, Request For Parole left for position, sitting the pocket behind the speedster, That Woman Hanover past the quarter in 27-seconds.  From there, Matt Kakaley guided Request For Parole to lead as the field turned down the backstretch, but the lead was brief as Tim Tetrick steered Witch Dali to the front before the half-mile in 54-seconds.  Kakaley kept his filly in the pocket around the far turn and was in a prime stalking spot past three-quarters in 1:22.1.  Request For Parole moved off the pylons in the stretched and powered past to the lead and from there, the filly drew clear to win by two convincing lengths in 1:50.  Longshot River Runs Thru It, who saved ground throughout the mile found room at the pylons and rallied well to finish second at 24-1 while Act Now rallied from far back to just nail Witch Dali on the wire to take the show spot.

Request For Parole is trained by Ron Burke who co-owns the mare with Weaver Bruscemi L.L.C.

The win was one of three on the program for Matt Kakaley.

The 13th race Jackpot Super Hi-5 went unclaimed.  The carryover into the Saturday program is $180,059.80.


Racing resumes on Saturday, Meadowlands Pace elimination night, with a special 5:30 post time.  The 14-race program includes a pair of $50,000 Meadowlands Pace Eliminations, a single $25,000 Mistletoe Shalee elimination, Reynolds trotting action for the three year old colt and filly trotters as well as the $250,000 Graduate Final that features a rematch of JL Cruze and Father Patrick.