by Carol Hodes, for the New Jersey Sires Stakes

Matawan, NJ — This weekend at the Meadowlands 3-year-old pacers are in the spotlight in a pair of $175,000 New Jersey Sires Stake Finals.

The fillies are carded on Friday night (June 22) in the fifth race and the colts as Saturday night’s (June 23) fifth race.

The Joe Holloway-trained entry of Always A Virgin and Fresh Deck has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the colts and geldings final. Always A Virgin is scheduled to leave from post one with Brian Sears driving while Fresh Deck, with John Campbell in the sulky, must overcome post nine.

Fresh Deck, a son of Cam’s Card Shark, was bred in Kentucky by Steve Stewart, Julie Nash, Francene Nash and Charles Nash. He has seven wins, three seconds and three thirds from 13 starts this year.

Fresh Deck’s victories include the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic on June 2 at the Meadowlands in a career best of 1:49.4 and an opening round New Jersey Sires Stake division on May 19.

Lifetime, Fresh Deck, a $125,000 Kentucky Selected yearling purchase, has banked $339,828 for Val D’Or Farms, Schoor-Racing Stable LLC and Theodore Gewertz.

Always A Virgin, bred by Roll The Dice Stable and owned in partnership with Bluewood Stable and Val D’Or Farms, is a Western Ideal colt with a win, two seconds and a third in four starts this year. Lifetime, he has finished in-the-money in nine of 14 tries for earnings of $157,736.

He took a career mark of 1:51.4 on June 16, winning a New Jersey Sires Stake at the Meadowlands, and was a neck back in third place in the New Jersey Classic Final won by his stablemate.

Arts A Flutter, who drew the rail in the fillies final and will have John Campbell at the lines, is rated the 5-2 morning line favorite by Meadowlands handicapper Dave Brower.

The daughter of Artiscape, unraced at 2, has six wins and one second in seven starts and earnings of $60,756.

Arts A Flutter is trained by Bob McIntosh, who is the co-owner and co-breeder with Leo Beaudoin and David Kryway. She had a five-race winning streak in Ontario before her second place finish in her Meadowlands and New Jersey Sires Stake debut on June 8. The next week, she won her New Jersey Sires Stake division in a career best of 1:51.1.

Platinum Hanover, the 7-2 second choice in the morning line, will leave from post eight with Andy Miller driving. The Chris Ryder trainee is a daughter of Western Ideal with seven wins and two seconds from 13 starts and earnings of $122,900. Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, she races in the name of Brittany Farms and was a $75,000 yearling purchase.

Before winning both of her New Jersey Sires Stake starts this month, she was the runner-up to Current Hanover in the $200,000 Thomas D’Altrui Miss New Jersey on June 2.

The New Jersey Sires Stake records for 3-year-old pacers are 1:49.1 for colts (Artistic Fella on June 24, 2006), 1:49.3 for geldings (Die Lute on July 2, 1999) and 1:49.4 for fillies (Apple Krisp on June 18, 2004).