by Leon Zimmerman, for the New Jersey Sire Stakes

Freehold, NJ — Two New Jersey Sire Stakes Premier Division Championships will be decided Wednesday (August 26) at Freehold Raceway with a pair of $100,000 finals for 2-year-old trotters.

Costa Rica (Muscles Yankee) is one of five NJSS preliminary leg winners in a field of eight in the $100,000 championship for fillies. The Jimmy Takter trainee, already the winner of $277,230 this year, drew post three.

Owned by Christina Takter and John and Jim Fielding, Costa Rica finished second in the $525,800 Merrie Annabelle at the Meadowlands earlier this month. She has four wins and two seconds in her six previous career starts.

Other winners of NJSS preliminary leg races in the final are: Boinga (Windsong’s Legacy), post one; IPO Blue Chip (Yankee Glide), post two; Lindy’s Two Step (Muscles Yankee), post four, and Photogenic Legs (Classic Photo), post five.

The remainder of the field is: Reve Pride (Revenue S), post six; Sky High (Muscles Yankee), post seven; and Wingbat (Windsong’s Legacy), post eight. All three had second-place finishes in the preliminary legs.

The eight-horse field for the $100,000 NJSS final for 2-year-old trotting colts and geldings is headed by preliminary leg winners Johansson (Yankee Glide) and Take My Picture (Classic Photo).

The rest of the field includes second-place leg finishers Homerun Hitter (Muscles Yankee), Senor Glide (Yankee Glide), Leonidas De Vie (Yankee Glide) and Jonah E Hanover (Muscles Yankee); third-place finisher Mamas Boo Bear (Muscles Yankee); and fourth-place finisher Guard Dog (Muscles Yankee).