By: Don Bielak, Freehold Raceway Publicity Director

Freehold, NJ — Douglas Sherman’s BJ’s Sunshine and Daniel and Thomas Courtemanche’s Jake’s Nordic captured their co-featured, $15,000 Open handicaps at Freehold Raceway on Friday, and in the case of the latter, his performance established a new track record for aged trotting geldings.

Jake’s Nordic was driven quickly from the gate at the start by Hall of Famer Cat Manzi and passed the opening quarter-mile mark in a rapid :27.4.

Manzi kept the throttle open on Jake’s Nordic, and the gelded son of Keystone Nordic tripped the timer in :58 at the midway point of the mile and 1:27.3 at the three-panel station.

Around the final turn and into the stretch, it was all Jake’s Nordic, and no competitor in the race was able to get within striking distance.

Jake’s Nordic hit the wire three and one-half lengths in front in a final time of 1:55.4, which eclipsed the former track record set by Impeccable Image in 1996. Center Field (Trond Smedshammer) finished second, a neck ahead of Spat One (Marcus Johansson) in third.

In establishing the new track record, Jake’s Nordic recorded his 11th tally in 23 outings this season. Sent postward as the odds-on choice, the Sam Beegle trainee returned $3.40 to win.

In the Open handicap for filly and mare pacers, BJ’s Sunshine led throughout with Jay Randall in the sulky. The five-year-old Artsplace mare cut fractions of :27.1, :56.2, and 1:24.4 and finished five and one-quarter lengths in front of her nearest rival in a final time of 1:53.4. Miss Galvinator (Jim Morrill, Jr.) avoided breaking horses in the stretch and rallied to finish second. River Valley Belle (Eric Abbatiello) finished seven and one-quarter lengths back in fourth, but was placed third when Proxahantis (Cat Manzi) was disqualified from the show spot for causing multiple interference while on a break.

BJ’s Sunshine notched her seventh win of the year in 24 starts in taking the Filly and Mare Open. Overlooked in the wagering, the Robert Horowitz-conditioned mare rewarded her supporters with a win mutuel of $18.80.

Several lucrative New Jersey Sires Stakes events were contested on the Freehold slate, also.

In the $33,500 second round of the NJSS for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, Perretti Racing Stable, Schnittker and Rizzo’s Self Obsessed took down top honors by a three-quarter length margin with David Miller driving. The son of Self Possessed trotted splits of :28.3, :58.3, and 1:28.1 and stopped the timer in 1:57.3 for the mile.

The $23,000 first division of the Sires Stakes for New Jersey-sired juvenile pacing fillies went to Irving Bork’s Elite Sorority. Ron Pierce drove the Cam’s Card Shark filly to the lead shortly after the opening quarter and she easily stayed in front thereafter en route to a two and one-half length victory in 1:58.

Manfredi, Scanlon and Manfredi’s Tarport Erin rallied in the stretch behind the handling of Cat Manzi and scored a 1:57.2 win in the $23,500 second division. The daughter of Cam’s Card Shark prevailed by a neck over a stubborn Savannah Sky (David Miller).