by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — Soon after she hit the ground, Wayne Givens thought Jerseylicious certainly had the potential to become an excellent racehorse and throughout her three seasons of competition the 4-year-old mare has only confirmed his original assessment.

“We bought her mother in foal to Western Ideal and Jerseylicious was born right here on the farm,” said the 63-year-old Seaford, Del., resident. “She acted like she was going to be special right away and never did anything wrong.”

Out of the New Zealand-bred mare Jet Lag N, who earned more than $600,000 during her career, Jerseylicious is owned by Vicki Givens’ Legacy Racing of DE Inc., Pamela Curran and Niel Gargiulo. To date, she has earned $518,546 from a record of 36-12-8-7 and she set her lifetime mark of 1:50.1 in her last start on May 16 at the Meadowlands in a $30,000 Mares FFA handicap race.

Fotowon photo

Jerseylicious enters Sunday’s Betsy Ross with career earnings of $518,546.

Her next engagement will be the $250,000 Betsy Ross at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday (May 25). It is the 12th race on the card and Jerseylicious will leave from post three with Ron Pierce holding the lines. Although she defeated Rocklamation, JK Letitgo and world champion Shebestingin in her last start, all of whom are in this field, Jerseylicious is a tantalizing 8-1 on the morning line.

“She really wants to race and that’s what makes her a good mare,” Givens said. “She is no problem at all and the only time she might get a little bit fussy is when we bring her in from racing or training. Even then she’s not like most mares can be and she might only squeal a little bit. She really is very good.”

Consistent would definitely be the word to describe Jerseylicious. At two, she collected $191,106, captured the $268,300 Sweetheart Pace and was second in the $150,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final. Last year she made $295,154 and was again second in the Sire Stakes final and third in the $384,044 Fan Hanover, the $300,000 Lynch Memorial and the $154,650 Jugette final. This year, Jerseylicious has paced three miles with two victories and one third and amassed $32,286, but Givens has a full schedule for her the rest of the year.

“She will go in the Roses Are Red next,” Givens said. “She is staked to pretty much everything again this year. She does love the mile tracks, but she goes well over a five-eighths and she did finish second in her elimination and third in the Jugette (final) on a half. We have tried her at Yonkers but I don’t think she particularly cared for it, but really she races well everywhere.”

After decades in the business, Givens has been around a lot of horses but he ranks Jerseylicious right up there with the best of them.

“I’ve been training horses for more than 40 years,” he said. “She isn’t the best horse I’ve ever had. I had Powerful Mist, who won an elimination of the North America Cup, but she is certainly the best mare I have ever had and she is absolutely no problem.”

Below is the field for the $250,000 Betsy Ross at Harrah’s Philadelphia.

Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1-Drop The Ball-Corey Callahan-Ross Croghan-4-1
2-Rocklamation-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke-6-1
3-Jerseylicious-Ron Pierce-Wayne Givens-8-1
4-Monkey On My Wheel-George Brennan-Casie Coleman-6-1
5-Anndrovette-Tim Tetrick-PJ Fraley-9-2
6-JK Letitgo-Jonathan Roberts-Joshua Parker-12-1
7-Yagonnakissmeornot-Daniel Dube-Rene Allard-5-1
8-Shebestingin-John Campbell-Joe Holloway-3-1