Meadowlands: Greenshoe steals the show in New Jersey Sire Stakes finals

Four New Jersey Sire Stakes finals for sophomores on both gaits took place on Friday night at the Meadowlands, with Greenshoe garnering the most attention thanks to a dazzling 1:50 2/5 performance in the male trot.

Driven by Brian Sears in the $200,000 event, Greenshoe vacated the cones from fourth to go first-over past the 27 1/5 opening quarter and advanced to within striking range of leader Sheena's Boy (Ake Svanstedt) at the 56 second half-mile marker. Greenshoe powered around the pace-setter on the far turn, began to open up heading to the 1:23 1/5 three-quarters, and continued to pour it on in the lane, winning by six lengths. Reign Of Honor (David Miller) finished well from far back and off cover to get second, with Galixton (Andy Miller) third.

"It looked like Ake was trotting pretty good up there and was going to race me if I was going to come hard, so I was just going to bide my time," offered Sears. "I know what my horse is capable of doing, and it all worked out."

Greenshoe was plagued by breaks behind the gate last year, although he showed enough talent to overcome them and win the New Jersey Sire Stakes final. This year, Sears said that the light bulb has gone on for the talented colt.

"I think he's starting to get the hang of it and know what we're trying to accomplish out there," he remarked. "He is sometimes a little rank at the gate, but so far so good. He's been getting out of there fine. Other than that, he's perfect. He only had four starts last year, and he made a break in most of them, so every start that he gets this year and he stays flat is a step in the right direction. Hopefully things stay that way."

Greenshoe is a Father Patrick colt trained by Marcus Melander for owners Courant Inc., Hans Backe, Lars Granqvist, and Morten Langli. This was Greenshoe's fourth career win, and he has now earned $189,223. He was the 1-5 favorite and paid $2.40 to win.

The filly trotters also went for a purse of $200,000, and Starita (George Brennan) cut fractions of 27 4/5, 57 1/5, and 1:25 after making front from post nine. She continued to cling to the lead in the lane, but Evident Beauty (D. Miller), who had won both her preliminary rounds, came with a sharp rally from third-over and was up to prevail by a length in 1:52 3/5. Sister's Promise (Tim Tetrick) angled off the cones through the stretch drive and showed good trot to get up for second, and Starita had to settle for third.

"She's come back really sharp this year. (Trainer Nifty Norman)'s done a great job bringing her back, and she's pretty easy on herself," stated the winning driver. "She loves to get home past horses. I feel pretty confident racing her. She was within range, about four off turning for home, and she raced like she's been racing. She was pretty strong.

"I'm sure she's eligible to a lot of the big races, so hopefully she stays in this form."

Evident Beauty, a filly by Trixton, is trained by Norman for owners Melvin Hartman, Little E LLC., and R A W Equine Inc. Evident Beauty made her sixth appearance in the winner's circle, and she pushed her bankroll to $373,192. Sent off as the 2-5 choice, she returned $2.80 to win.

The $160,000 final for pacing fillies and the $120,000 final for pacing males were both raced as non-wagering events prior to the main card. Hurrikanesky (Scott Zeron) trailed in fifth, then came through with a solid rail rally to get up and win the filly pace by a neck in 1:54 4/5, with Mollydooker (Andrew McCarthy) second and Love Love Me Too (Chris Ryder) third, and Hurrikane Emperor (Daniel Dube) led and overwhelmed the field in the male pace, winning by open lengths in 1:53 over Clintock (Tetrick) and Black Dan (Andy Miller).

Patrik Hlubik bred,owns, and trains Hurrikanesky, a daughter of Hurrikane Kingcole. She is now a two-time winner in her life, and she boosted her earnings to $127,900.

Hurrikane Emperor, who won both the New Jersey Sire Stakes and Kentucky Sire Stakes finals last year, the latter in 1:49 3/5, is a son of Hurrikane Kingcole trained by John McDermott Jr. Hurrikane Emperor was bred by Jonathan Klee Racing, Kuhen Racing LLC., and Pegasis Investment Group, and they now share ownership with William Garofalo. Hurrikane Emperor has a record of 10-1-0 from 12 lifetime tries and has stashed away $348,900.