by Don Bielak, Publicity Director, Freehold Raceway

FREEHOLD, NJ – – Heavily favored Self Indulgent made every pole a winning one as she captured the $84,100 Helen Smith final for three-year-old New Jersey-sired trotting fillies at Freehold Raceway on Friday

World Wide Racing Photos

Dave Miller drove Self Indulgent to victory in the Helen Smith Memorial.

Driver David Miller took advantage of the number one post position and hustled Self Indulgent quickly to the lead at the start. Once on top, the daughter of Self Possessed cut fractions of 28.2, 57.4, 127.4 and finished one length in front in a final time of 1:57.1. A late-arriving In The Shell (Cat Manzi) finished second, and it was another three-quarters of a length back to Would Workout (Ron Pierce) in third.

Self Indulgent won for the fifth time in 10 starts this season as she captured the Smith final for her owners, Perretti Racing Stable and Lindy Racing Stable. Closing as the 1-9 favorite, the Jimmy Takter trainee returned a win mutuel of $2.20.

In a $21,750 division of the opening round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for sophomore pacing colts and geldings, Meadowlands Pace winner, Holborn Hanover, drew clear to a three and one-half length victory in a new Sire Stakes record time of 1:53.3 with George Brennan in the sulky. The gelded son of Cam’s Card Shark is owned by John Fielding and Canamerica Capital Corp and trained by Mark Harder.

The second division, worth $22,350, saw Ira Schwartz, Stake Your Claim Stable and Alvin Minkoff’s Art Director equal the NJSS record of 1:52.4 for three-year-old colts. The son of Artiscape inherited the lead entering the final turn when his entrymate, JK Royal Flush (Jeff Gregory) went offstride, and stayed in front thereafter to register a two and one-half length tally behind the handling of Ron Pierce.

Also on the Freehold undercard, this year’s Dexter Cup winner, Beissinger Hanover, won the first of two $20,000 divisions of the second leg of the NJSS for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings, trotting the mile in 1:58. The second division went to Self Obsessed in a 1:57.3 clocking.

Pierce had a banner day at Freehold on Friday. The 48-year-old resident of Clarksburg, NJ reined five winners on the 12 race card: Cindy Rella ($12.40), Sofia Letsgo ($9.40), Rubys Sharp Image ($7.00) and Lavros Harrier N ($6.20), in addition to Art Director ($3.20).