by Leon Zimmerman, for the New Jersey Sire Stakes

The New Jersey Sire Stakes will open its “Second Season” Thursday, August 10 at Freehold Raceway with a total of $50,000 in Green Acres purses for three-year-old pacing fillies and two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

There will be two $10,000 races for the sophomore filly pacers and three $10,000 races for the freshman pacing colts and geldings.

Public Life, a daughter of Life Sign who won six of 11 races as a two-year-old last year, drew the rail in a 9-horse field with Hall of Famer Catello Manzi driving. The Steve LeBlanc-trained filly, who has earned $133,984 in her career, is owned by Thomas Dillon and Walter Hight of Maine.

Knock Yourself Out, an Artiscape-sired filly with $200,959 in purse money as a two-year-old in 2005, drew post three in an 8-horse field in the other NJSS Green Acres three-year-old filly pacing event. Manzi will drive for trainer Richard Norman and owner Francine Funke of Connecticut.

A total of 27 two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, most of whom are first-time starters or non-winners, will go postward in the three other Green Acres races. Only six of the 27 have won a single race before.

The Sire Stakes Green Acres Program continues Friday, August 11, with competition at Freehold for two-year-old pacing fillies and three-year-old pacing colts and geldings. The Sire Stakes Pari-Mutuel Division begins Saturday, August 12, over the Freehold half-mile oval.