by Carol Hodes, for the SBOA of New Jersey

Manalapan, NJ — Spam Spade, fresh off a victory in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes, has been installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite in the $51,390 New Jersey Futurity for 3-year-old trotters, the featured seventh race on Friday, October 10, at Freehold Raceway.

The New Jersey Futurity is restricted to offspring of New Jersey stallions and is sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey. The field features three colts, four geldings and one filly.

Spam Spade, a gelded son of Dream Vacation-Chynatown, has five wins and two seconds in 11 starts this year. Lifetime he has finished in-the-money in 10 of 19 starts for earnings of $156,020.

The trotter won the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final at Freehold on September 5 before heading to Delaware, Ohio where he was second in an Old Oaken Bucket division.

His victory in a $106,200 Bluegrass division at Lexington’s Red Mile on September 27 was in a lifetime best of 1:53.3. He also set a track and New Jersey Sire Stakes record of 1:55.4 when he won at Freehold on August 15.

Spam Spade races for the Andy Miller Stable Inc. and is driven by Andy Miller and trained by his wife, Julie Miller. Bred by Perretti Farms, the 3-year-old trotter was a $22,000 Harrisburg Sale yearling purchase.

Muscle Shirt, who won the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final for 3-year-old trotting fillies on September 18, is rated 7-2 from post two.

The Chuck Sylvester trainee has five wins, one second and two thirds from 14 outings this year, banking $174,563 toward a career total of $218,643 for owners Irving Liverman, Neal Goldman, Alan Caplan and Keith Dickstein.

The daughter of Muscles Yankee-Paisley Yankee, also bred by Perretti Farms, won the $70,000 Helen Smith Final on August 15 at Freehold. She is partnered with driver Jeff Gregory.

Swift Kid, who is by Yankee Glide, dominated the New Jersey Sire Stakes-Green Acres and brings a six-race winning streak into the Futurity. He will leave from post seven with Jack Baggitt, Jr. The Ray Remmen-trainee is rated 10-1 in the morning line.

Three stallions are represented in the Futurity with three offspring by Muscles Yankee, three by Yankee Glide and two by Dream Vacation.

The field for the $51,390 New Jersey Futurity:

Post-Horse-Sire-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Rin Tin Cin-Muscles Yankee-Daniel Dube-Trond Smedshammer-9-2
2-Muscle Shirt-Muscles Yankee-Jeff Gregory-Chuck Sylvester-7-2
3-Native Yankee-Yankee Glide-Jason Bartlett-Ray Remmen-6-1
4-Ringside Muscle-Muscles Yankee-Cat Manzi-Wm Vandervort, Jr.-8-1
5-Shutter Boy-Dream Vacation-John Campbell-George Dennis-5-1
6-Spam Spade-Dream Vacation-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-3-1
7-Swift Kid-Yankee Glide-Jack Baggitt, Jr.-Ray Remmen-10-1
8-Star Ledger-Yankee Glide-Steve Smith-Karen Garland-12-1