Whit, driven by Tim Tetrick, lowered his mark by six full seconds to 1:52.4 with the victory, his third in 21 career starts. He paid $7.80. Celebrity Bombay got up for third after being parked most of the way.
The favorite, Yonkers Trot winner Leader Of The Gang, broke stride past the opening quarter and finished last. "I know he needed this race to make sure he had a chance at it [the Hambletonian], "Tetrick said. "I thought he raced really well; 1:52:4 was a good mile today. He got home good and hopefully that will make the owners think it's all right to put him in next week."
Homer Hochstetler trains and co-owns
the son of Classic Photo
with Robert Buddig of Hinsdale, IL.
Hochstetler plans to enter the colt in the July 30 eliminations for the $1.5 million Hambletonian.
"Today's race was very good and his training has been progressing nicely," Hochstetler said. "He's about right on schedule. He's been drawing kind of poorly and we haven't left with him. I was kind of glad to see Tim [Tetrick] fire him up a bit and get him in the game. I don't know how our chances are in the [Hambletonian] eliminations. I think it's kind of a long shot, but we'll see."
VC Chocholic got up by a head over Big Sky Storm in the second New Jersey Sire Stakes split for colts and geldings. The son of Chocolatier sat a second over trip and rallied under urging from driver-trainer Trond Smedshammer to post his fourth win of the season in 1:54.4. Winuendo was a length behind the leaders in third.
"Any winning effort is okay with me,"
Smedshammer said. "He kind of came into
himself pretty quickly this year.
He's
very uncomplicated. He's a very easy
horse to rig and train." Though Purple
Haze Stables' VC Chocoholic is eligible
to the Hambletonian, Smedshammer said
after the race he is not likely to enter
the colt in next week's eliminations. "I
know he lacks a little when compared to
the best horses," Smedshammer said.
"He's a nice horse, though. I don't
think he'll be in the eliminations. I
don't think he's good enough. I'm not
going to put a horse in there just to
hope to finish fourth or fifth. He can't
win; he just doesn't have enough go. I
don't think I'll be putting any of my
horses in the eliminations. The best one
[Dejarmbro] is not eligible and the
other ones are not good enough."
Luckycharm lso made a winning step toward the Hambletonian with a 1:53.4 victory in the $25,000 open for 3-year-old trotters. The son of Andover Hall scored his first win of the season with David Miller in tow. Tom Haughton trains the colt for Bernard Owen, Arthur Rudolph and Rudolph Stables.
"He's been racing pretty well for me
lately," Miller said. "He had a problem
running in last week and a little bit of
soreness.
They had him feeling much
better tonight. I think he's coming into
the eliminations in good shape."
Wincinnatti, a daughter of Windsong's Legacy, took the first division in 1:53.2 for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Brett Bittle.
Tawesome More, a Muscles Yankee lass, captured the second division in 1:53.3 for reinsman Andy Miller and trainer Tony Alagna.
