by Carol Hodes, for the New Jersey Sires Stakes

Matawan, NJ — 3-year-old trotters take center stage in a pair of $175,000 New Jersey Sires Stake Finals on Thursday night (June 21) at the Meadowlands.

The colts will go postward in the fifth race and the fillies in the seventh in the culmination of the spring series of races that began on May 28.

Biz Hub and Primary AS, both trained by Trond Smedshammer and both sired by Malabar Man, are the early morning line favorites (prior to scratches and driver changes). Biz Hub, rated at 3-1, appeared in two of the three preliminary rounds of New Jersey Sires Stake action, winning on June 7 and finishing third on June 14. He was paired with driver Brian Sears in both outings.

Lifetime, Biz Hub has two wins, a second and a third in eight starts and has banked $40,910 for owner-breeder Allister Stables Inc. of Freehold, New Jersey.

Primary AS, bred in Sweden by Ann-Christin Lorentzon and John Erik Magnusson, trotted a 1:54.2 mile in his winning New Jersey Sires Stake effort on June 14 after a fourth place finish in his season’s debut on June 7. At 2, he won his only start, a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at Lexington’s Red Mile. Owned by the Kittelsen Racing Stable of Norway, he has earned $60,425.

In the filly division, Gerri’s Joy, a daughter of Enjoy Lavec, was given the slight 3-1 nod over 7-2 Possess The Magic in the Meadowlands’ morning line by Dave Brower.

Gerri’s Joy, driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Noel Daley, has earned more than $406,000 for owner-breeder Nicholas Cimino of Pompano Beach, Fla.

At 2, she posted three wins, a second and a third from eight starts, capturing the $537,000 Merrie Annabelle. She was second in the $410,000 Goldsmith Maid Final.

This year, she has a third and a second in her two New Jersey Sires Stake appearances.

The filly that defeated Gerri’s Joy last week was Possess The Magic, owned and bred by Brittany Farms of Versailles, Ky.

The Self Possessed filly was fourth in her first start of the year, her June 6 New Jersey Sires Stake division, and trotted a lifetime best of 1:54.1 last week. Driven by Mike Lachance, she is trained by Ron Gurfein.

Possess The Magic was the $175,000 New Jersey Sires Stake final winner at 2 and was voted the 2006 New Jersey Sires Stake 2-Year-Old Filly Trotter of the Year by the NJSS Board of Trustees.

Last year, she also won the $600,000 Breeders Crown at Woodbine and tallied victories in the International Stallion Stakes, Bluegrass and Acorn.

She has a lifetime record of 10 wins and three seconds from 15 starts and earnings of $717,513.

The New Jersey Sires Stake records for 3-year-old trotters are 1:52.4 for fillies set by Passionate Glide on June 22, 2006; 1:53.3 for colts, shared by New York Yank (June 23, 2005) and Operation Lindy (June 14, 2007) and 1:54.1 for geldings by Green Day (June 7, 2007).