by Leon Zimmerman, for the New Jersey Sire Stakes

Trenton, NJ — The leading New Jersey-sired 3-year-old pacers will compete for the richest championship purses in N.J. Sire Stakes history on Saturday night (May 30) at The Meadowlands.

There will be two $200,000 championship finals, one for sophomore filly pacers in Race 7 and the other for colts and geldings in Race 9. With these 2009 championships, the NJSS program will have distributed nearly $900,000 in purses to 3-year-old pacers in just three racing opportunities over a 15-day period.

The $200,000 championship final for colts and geldings will pit Drop Red (Red River Hanover), a two-time NJSS preliminary leg winner earlier this month, against Dial Or Nodial (Western Ideal), the 2008 NJSS Horse of the Year who finished second in a preliminary leg that was his first start of 2009.

Other preliminary leg winners in the championship are two other sons of Western Ideal, Ideal Danny and Estero Bay, and another Red River Hanover colt, Redneck Riviera.

The $200,000 championship final for fillies will feature preliminary leg winners Precious Stone and Special Sweetheart, both daughters of Western Ideal, and Scarlet Mczara and Mcgibson, both sired by McArdle. Also in the race is Showherthemoney (Cam’s Card Shark), who finished second, but was placed first after Jkmusicofthenite (Western Ideal) was disqualified from first to third.