Cane Pace highlights Freehold Raceway’s schedule

JERRY WOLKOWITZ Cream Ridge’s Joe King rides Dreamland’s Chip at White Birch Farm in Upper Freehold in preparation for the upcoming summer/fall season at Freehold Raceway.

Freehold Raceway reopens for the summer/fall meet on Friday with the $80,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes race for 3-year-old filly pacers topping the card. The summer/fall meet will continue through Dec. 31 at the nation’s oldest daytime track.

Freehold’s Cat Manzi, a candidate for the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, is the defending driving champion. He is looking for his 15th driving title at Freehold. He picked up his 14th crown during the winter/spring meet. Manzi has scored more than 9,000 victories during his brilliant career.

William Whitlock is the defending trainer’s champion. Highlighting the 2001 meet, as it has the last two years, is the Cane Pace.

With the thoroughbred Triple Crown races over, the next Triple Crown test is in harness racing, and it will all begin at Freehold Raceway Sept. 3 with the Cane Pace, the opening leg of pacing’s Triple Crown.

This year’s crop of sophomores will be looking to join the list of who’s who in the sport of past winners that includes legends like Albatross, Niatross, Bret Hanover, Cam Fella and Most Happy Fella.

In 2001, the colt pacers who have emerged as the leading contenders for Pacer of the Year honors are: Bettor’s Delight, Real Desire, On the Attack and Fully Loaded. A win in the Cane Pace would be a real boost to their chances.

Bettor’s Delight, sired by Cam’s Card Shark (1994 Harness Horse of the Year), is the richest 3-year-old, having earned in excess of $1.1 million this year. Driven by Michel LaChance (twice a Cane Pace winner), Bettor’s Delight has won the $1 million North America Cup and was second at the $1 million Meadowlands Pace. He has taken a lifetime best of 1:50.0 at the Meadowlands, and has won five of his seven starts and was second in another.

Real Desire, sired by Life Sign, beat Bettor’s Delight at the Meadowlands Pace in 1:49.3. He has won more than $500,000 this year and been in the money in five of his six starts with a pair of wins. He has been driven by Hall of Famer John Campbell, the leading big-race driver in the business. Campbell has won the Cane Pace three times and is one short of tying Stanley Dancer’s mark of four Cane wins as the winningest drivers in the race.

World record holder On the Attack has been the best 3-year-old on a half-mile track in 2001. He equaled Falcon Seelster’s world record for 3-year-old pacer on a half-mile track with his blistering 1:51.0 set in winning the Cleveland Classic. The son of Jate Lobell has won 12 of his 18 starts this year, including the Prix de Montreal and has earned close to $500,000. He is driven by Stefan Bouchard.

Fully Loaded tossed his hat into the ring of contenders when he beat On the Attack at the Art Rooney in Yonkers in a quick 1:51.4. Sired by 1992 Harness Horse of the Year Artsplace, he has a lifetime best of 1:51.0 at the Meadowlands and has won half of his 12 starts this year. He is driven by Luc Oullette, one of the world’s top reinsmen, who won last year’s Cane Pace in an upset with Powerful Toy.

The Cane Pace eliminations will be raced on Aug. 25 (if the field is more than 10 horses) with a purse of $100,000 at stake. The $350,000 estimated Cane Pace final will be on Labor Day, Sept. 3.

The winner will be the only Standardbred with a chance to become the 10th Pacing Triple Crown winner. The previous winners of the three races that comprise the Triple Crown, the Cane Pace, Little Brown Jug and Messenger Stakes are: Adios Butler (1959), Bret Hanover (1965), Romeo Hanover (1966), Rum Customer (1968), Most Happy Fella (1970), Niatross (1980), Ralph Hanover (1983), Western Dreamer (1997) and Blissfull Hall (1999).

The Little Brown Jug, held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio, is set for Sept. 20, and the Messenger Stakes will take place on Oct. 27 at Ladbroke at the Meadows outside Pittsburgh.

The $300,000 26th annual James B. Dancer Pace (named for the patriarch of the famed harness racing family from New Egypt) is another stakes highlight of the meet. This has been one of the top 3-year-old pacer races of the season from its inception and has often helped decide Pacer of the Year honors. Among the notables who have won the Dancer are: Niatross, Abercrombie, Hot Hitter, Nihilator, Artsplace and Cam’s Card Shark.

The Dancer made a splash its very first year in 1976, when Windshield Wiper and Hall of Famer Billy Haughton upset fellow Hall of Famer Stanley Dancer and Keystone Ore, who was that year’s Horse of the Year.

The Dancer will be held on Nov. 17. Other major stakes are: the $150,000 Molly Pitcher (2-year-old pacing fillies) on Aug. 21, the $100,000 Lou Babic Memorial (2-year-old pacing fillies) on Sept. 1, the $150,000 Shady Daisy (3-year-old pacing fillies) on Sept. 3, the $200,000 Lou Babic Memorial (2-year-old open pace) on Sept. 3, $90,000 Helen Smith Trot (3-year-old fillies) on Sept. 21, the $150,000 Battle of Freehold (2-year-old open pace) on Sept. 22 and the $100,000 Charles Smith Trot (3-year-old open) on Oct. 19.

There will be several New Jersey Sire Stakes and New Jersey Sire Stakes Green Acres finals with $80,000 and $70,000 purses. Live racing at Freehold will run Tuesday through Saturday from opening until the end of October. In November and December racing will be offered Wednesday through Saturday. Post time is 1 p.m. and admission to live racing is free. Simulcasting will be available seven nights a week.