by Leon Zimmerman, for the New Jersey Sire Stakes

Trenton, NJ — Spam Spade, who took honors as the New Jersey Sire Stakes 3-year-old Trotting Colt of the Year in 2008, returns to racing Friday night (April 10) in the $21,000 seventh race on The Meadowlands program.

The 4-year-old trotting gelding, a son of Dream Vacation, has turned in two wins in qualifying races, clocked in 1:54.4 and 1:56 for trainer Julie Miller. But he will be starting from post 10 in his first outing of 2009 with regular driver Andy Miller and will face tough competition in the field of non-winners of $16,000 in their last six starts and some $50,000 claimers.

Bred by Perretti Farms in Cream Ridge and owned by the Andy Miller Stable of Millstone Township, Spam Spade earned $224,535 last year as a 3-year-old, including victories in the $100,000 Charles I. Smith for NJ-sired horses and the $85,000 NJSS Championship Final, both at Freehold Raceway. He took his 1:53.3 lifetime mark in the Bluegrass Stakes at Lexington last year.