by Carol Hodes, for the SBOANJ

Manalapan, NJ — Guess Whos Back benefited from a quarter-mile duel between Stonebridge Force and Canepa Hanover to win the $40,500 second round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Friday (July 4) in the second race at the Meadowlands. In the $39,500 filly division, the fourth race, Mission Brief trotted a stakes record 1:55.1.

Guess Whos Back was a 1:57 winner for driver Brian Sears.

In the colts’ race, Stonebridge Force (Muscle Hill) and driver Ake Svanstedt would not relinquish the lead and the rail to 1-5 favorite Canepa Hanover (Muscle Hill) as the two battled down the backstretch. Early in the turn for home Canepa Hanover broke stride, leaving Stonebridge Force on a clear lead until Brian Sears, who won both ends of the early daily double, sent Guess Whos Back sprinting in the stretch.

The son of Muscles Yankee–Shes Gone Again took the lead in the final eighth and clocked a career best 1:57, last quarter in :29, winning by 1-1/2 lengths over Stonebridge Force. Falk On Hill (Muscle Hill), entrymate to Canepa Hanover, saved the bridge-jumpers, finishing third by 8-3/4 lengths. Guess Whos Back returned $12.60 to win.

Guess Whos Back, a $90,000 Standardbred Horse Sale purchase, was making his second career start, having broken stride in last week’s opening leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes. The Nikolas Drennan trainee picked up the winner’s share of $20,250 for owners Joseph Davino and Brad Shackman. He was bred by Diamond Creek Farm and Melvin Hartman.

Lisa photos

Mission Brief trotted to a stakes record of 1:55.1.

Mission Brief, who broke stride early in last week’s first leg, was carefully timed to the starting gate by driver Yannick Gingras and had the lead from first call to the finish line. The 3-5 favorite Saturday Mornings was second by 9-3/4 lengths. It was 12-1/2 lengths to Demons N Diamonds in third. All of the top three finishers are daughters of Muscle Hill.

Mission Brief clicked off fractions of :27.3, :56.2 and 1:25.1 before stopping the clock at 1:55.1, eclipsing the stakes record of 1:55.3 shared by Act Of Grace (1995) and Southwind Cocoa (2012).

The Ron Burke trainee, out of the Breeders Crown winner Southwind Serena, paid $7.20 to win. It was the filly’s first win in two starts, earning $19,750 for the partnership of Burke Racing Stable, Our Horse Cents Stables, J&T Silva Stables and Weaver Bruscemi. The $150,000 Lexington Selected Sale purchase was bred by Steve Stewart, Black Creek Farm and Andrea Lea Racing Stables.

The $30,000 Free For All Handicap for pacing mares featured a quintet of mares prepping for the Golden Girls next week. It was one of those five, in fact, odds-on favorite Shebestingin who scored a neck victory over a very game Mattie Terror Girl in 1:50.3.

Jerseylicious established the early pace but was quickly shuffled back through a quarter of :26.4 and a half-mile in a rapid :53.2. Mattie Terror Girl made a steady grind to the lead and turned for home with the lead through three-quarters of 1:21.1.

Mattie Terror Girl dug in, but simply could not hold off the classy Shebestingin who scored the victory for David Miller. Both mares look poised as major contenders in the Golden Girls on Pace night. Charisma Hanover finished a solid third.

The winner is owned by Val D’Or Farms, Theodore Gewertz and L&L Devisser LLC and is conditioned by Joe Holloway.

The following race, a C-1/B-2 handicap, saw Aunt Caroline make her 2014 debut a winning one, scoring a sharp 1:51.3 victory. Aunt Caroline is also Golden Girls eligible and figures to go postward in that event on Pace night as well.

Racing returns on Saturday with a special post time of 6:30 p.m. The Saturday program is a blockbuster, featuring two eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace, the $484,450 Hambletonian Maturity, an elimination for the Mistletoe Shalee and New Jersey Sire Stakes action. The past performances for the Saturday program can be found free at this link.

There will also be a spectacular fireworks show following the live racing program.

— Meadowlands Media Relations also contributed to this report