Pair of Juvenile Stakes Saturday
Posted 1912 days
Freehold Raceway’s got a great 12-race card on tap for Saturday (September 28), with two stakes for 2-year-old pacers serving as the co-features.
The Renaissance Final for 2-year-old filly pacers will go as the sixth race, with an approximate post time of 2:10 PM EDT. A field of seven will go, with the top six finishers from last week’s elimination returning. Ready Set Rock received a bye into the final, and also dropped in the entry box. Lucy Lightyear looks like the likely favorite, having won three races in a row at the Freehold meet. She won the final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes- Standardbred Development Fund for 2-year-old filly pacers on September 14, and followed that up with an easy gate-to-wire victory in the elimination. She’s had the luxury of inside posts in those three races, but will have to leave from post position five on Saturday. Stacy Chiodo trains and drives for owner Timothy Tobias.
Her biggest rival looks to be Ready Set Rock, who was second by a head to Lucy in the NJSS-SDF final. She’ll go from post position six for trainer Kevin Lare. Tony Alagna is sending out two entrants: Odds on Hollywood and Caviart Heather. They finished second and third in the elimination, respectively.
Freehold will also host the final in the NJSS-SDF for 2-year-old male pacers. Columbo, winner of the Renaissance on September 14, will seek to rebound off his disappointing fourth-place finish in the second leg last week. The Linda Toscano trainee drew post position two, and will be driven by Jordan Stratton. Rockin the Gates has won the first two legs of the series, and aims to complete the sweep on Saturday. He will leave from post position six. George Brennan will drive for trainer Steve LeBlanc.
Other contenders in the eight-horse field include Rockin Jukebox, an upset winner of the other division of the second leg last week, Follow Your Heart, a first-leg winner seeking a rebound off two straight poor efforts, and Villiam, who won the NJSS Final in July at the Meadowlands. It will be run as the eighth race on Saturday, with a scheduled post time of 2:50 PM EDT.
The first race at Freehold on Saturday will be at approximately 12:30 PM EDT.