Market Share Puts Perfect Record On Line in Dexter Cup Elim.
Posted 4625 days
Freehold, NJ – April 26, 2012 – Market Share, who swept all five starts at two, makes his 2012 debut in the $46,100 Dexter Cup eliminations on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at Freehold Raceway.
The son of Revenue S swept the New Jersey Sire Stakes Green Acres Series and the SBOANJ-sponsored New Jersey Futurity in 2011. He was honored as 2011 Green Acres Horse of the Year.
He will leave from post six in the field of eight, carded as the ninth race. The top six in the order of finish advance to the $138,300 final on May 5 along with two who had the highest lifetime earnings and have byes, Frost Bites K and Southwind Austin.
Market Share is on familiar turf – all five of his starts at two delivered him to the winner’s circle at Freehold where he won by a combined 25 ½ lengths.
He banked $36,250 for owners Richard Gutnick of Blue Bell, PA and Gary Cucco of New Town Square, PA who paid $16,000 for him at the Lexington Selected Sale.
This month trainer Linda Toscano took him to the Meadowlands for two qualifiers – both winning efforts paired with his usual driver, Jeff Gregory. He is rated the 5-2 morning line favorite.
“He’s a really, really nice horse,” Toscano said. “He’s an honest horse. He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do up to this point. I hope that he’ll have a good year.
“He’s come back real well so far,” Toscano noted. “[The qualifier at the Meadowlands] was his first time ever on a mile track, and I would’ve loved to seen him race off a helmet, but it didn’t work out that way. Jeff said he was very much in hand, so I’m happy with him.”
The Dexter kicks off the stakes campaign for top three-year-old trotters. Market Share is eligible to the Hambletonian, Breeders Crown, Yonkers Trot and Goodtimes, but Toscano has no set plans at this point.
“He’s staked to pretty much everything,” said Toscano, who trained last year’s Breeders Crown winner Chapter Seven for an ownership group that included Market Share’s Gutnick and Cocco. “He’ll follow on the coattails of all the other good ones, and we’ll see. We’ll zig and zag if we have to. He’s given me a lot of options. He’ll tell us where to put him.”
The Dexter entrants eligible to the Hambletonian also include A Starsborn Hanover, Not Afraid, Frost Bites K and Southwind Austin.
The Dexter field, from the rail out, with driver and morning line odds: Markz Moose, Eric Abbatiello, 10-1; Trouble, Andy Miller, 7-2; Not Afraid, Jimmy Takter, 9-2; Joey Chestnut, Steve Smith, 6-1; Astarisborn Hanover, Tim Tetrick, 5-1; Market Share, Jeff Gregory, 5-2; On The Podium, Ray Schnittker, 5-1 and Broadway Zinger, Trond Smedshammer, 8-1.
On The Podium and Astarisborn Hanover are a Ray Schnittker-owned entry.
—With notes and quotes from Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
courtesy SBOANJ
