by Carol Hodes, for the New Jersey Sire Stakes

Freehold, NJ — Despite a miscue in his last start, Spam Spade has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings on Friday, September 5, at Freehold Raceway.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Spam Spade jogs with Andy Miller.

The gelded son of Dream Vacation has drawn the rail with Andy Miller at the lines in the featured fourth race. Spam Spade is trained by Julie Miller for the Andy Miller Stable Inc. and has banked $41,530 lifetime, finishing in-the-money in seven of 16 starts.

This year, the trotter has been formidable when he has stayed flat but frustrating when he has not. He has three wins and one second in eight starts. He took his mark of 1:54.1 at the Meadowlands on July 10 but set a New Jersey Sire Stakes and Freehold track record of 1:55.4 in the opening round of the NJSS on August 15.

Bred by Perretti Farms, Spam Spade was a $22,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase.

The draw for the $85,000 NJSS Final is as follows:

Post-Horse-Sire-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Spam Spade-Dream Vacation-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-2-1
2-Wind Surfer-Muscles Yankee-Yannick Gingras-Mickey Burke-4-1
3-Ringside Muscle-Muscles Yankee-Daniel Dube-William Vandervort-6-1
4-Tuscan Lindy-Self Possessed-Pat Lachance-Pat Lachance-15-1
5-Waterstone-Yankee Glide-Jimmy Takter-Jimmy Takter-12-1
6-Better Than Most-Self Possessed-Jeff Gregory-Jonas Czernyson-5-1
7-Shutter Boy-Yankee Glide-George Dennis-George Dennis-8-1
8-Star Ledger-Yankee Glide-Steve Smith-Karen Garland-10-1