Upset, stakes record highlight New Jersey Sire Stakes Finals

A meet record and a big upset highlighted a quartet of $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes (NJSS) Finals for 2-year-olds held at the Meadowlands July 17.

Driver Yannick Gingras also had a big night, scoring a pair of wins, including a stakes record with Southwind Frank.

Undefeated Boston Red Rocks went off as the huge favorite in the $100,000 NJSS Final for 2-year-old pacing colts and looked every bit like the class of the field. He controlled the pace out of the gate but could not distance himself from two challengers. In the homestretch, one of them, Ideal Rocky, got by the undefeated pacer in the final strides to score the upset win in a lifetime best of 1:53.1. He closed his last quarter in a quick 26.2.

Ideal Rocky, driven by Corey Callahan and trained by John Butenchoen, brushed three-wide to win by a head at the line.

The Rocknroll Hanover sire did not get off to an auspicious start, refusing to put his nose anywhere near the gate.

“He decided the last couple of starts when we had the five-hole that he doesn’t want to be close to [the starting gate car],” Butenschoen said in a prepared statement from the Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey. “I guess we’d better go back to the drawing board to make sure he knows what to do when he’s behind the car itself [and not the wings]. But he was able to overcome that. I was tickled.”

The driver remarked that Ideal Rocky “started motoring up around the last turn and mowed them down. That was great.”

All The Time, handled by Gingras, was the best of three Jimmy Takter trainees in the $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes for trotting fillies.

All The Time trotted the mile in 1:55.4, finishing a length and three-quarters ahead of Silent Blessings.

All The Time has two wins in three career starts and has earned $52,400.

Gingras was back in the winner’s circle with Southwind Frank in the New Jersey Sire Stakes for trotting colts and geldings, the seventh race.

The son of Muscle Hill, bred by Southwind Farms, trotted the mile in a stakes record 1:53.4, supplanting Hill I Am (Muscle Hill), who set the mark of 1:55.3 in 2013.

Southwind Frank controlled the tempo through fractions of 27.2, 56.4 and 1:26.2, covering the final quarter in 27.2 for a length-and-a-half victory. Rallying for second was Bar Hopping.

“I wanted to cut the mile; I thought he was the horse to beat,” Gingras said. “I just wanted to have a clear path. My horse was a little bit shaky tonight, and I had to wait on him [to settle]. But I knew if I could keep him trotting, there was no one who would get near.”

In the final division, favorite Blue Moon Stride popped out of the pocket at the top of the stretch, claimed the lead in the deep stretch and held off Show Time Hill to win the Final for pacing fillies in the 11th race.

Andrew McCarthy guided the Mark Harder-trained Blue Moon Stride, who paced the mile in 1:53.1, finishing a neck ahead of Show Time Hill.

“They’re all good in March, April and May, but you just really don’t know until you start racing them,” Harder said. “And she’s shown up good now.”

Blue Moon Stride was bred by Perretti Farms in Cream Ridge.