by Carol Hodes, for the SBOA of New Jersey

Manalapan, NJ — Flex The Muscle has been installed as the 4-5 morning line favorite and will put his three-race winning streak on the line in the $80,000 Charles I. Smith Trot on Friday, September 10, at Freehold Raceway.

Sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, the Charles I. Smith was named in memory of a New Jersey harness racing pioneer, founder of the New Jersey Sire Stakes program and owner of trotters.

In August, Flex The Muscle, a son of Muscles Yankee, swept two preliminary legs and the $100,000 final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes at Freehold. He now has five wins and three seconds in 13 starts this year.

The Ray Schnittker trainee has been on-the-board in 18 of 26 lifetime starts for a career bankroll of $343,949 for Schnittker and his partners, Jerry Silva and Arden Homestead Stable.

Flex The Muscle will leave from post three in the field of five 3-year-old New Jersey-sired trotting colts in the featured second race.

David Miller has drawn the driving assignment as was the case for the colt’s Freehold victory in May in the $156,000 Dexter Cup. Miller previously won the Smith in 2002 with Spat One.

The Smith stakes record of 1:57 was set in 2007 by Princetonian, a Dream Vacation colt driven by Daniel Dube and trained by Ray Remmen.

The field for the $80,000 Charles Smith Trot, from the rail out with sire, driver, trainer and morning line odds: Senor Glide, Yankee Glide, Marcus Johansson, Jimmy Takter, 8-1; Jetblue Volo, Yankee Glide, Cat Manzi, Anette Lorentzon, 4-1; Flex The Muscle, Muscles Yankee, David Miller, Ray Schnittker, 4-5; Flashback, Classic Photo, Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 10-1; and Mamas Boo Bear, Muscles Yankee, Steve Smith, Karen Garland, 5-1.

One of the original entrants, Borga Crash, was scratched lame due to a bone fracture, according to the Freehold Race Office.