by Carol Hodes, for the SBOA of New Jersey
Manalapan, NJ — Market Share will be putting his unbeaten streak on the line in the second of two $25,000 divisions of the New Jersey Futurity for 2-year-old trotters on Friday (Oct. 14) at Freehold Raceway.
Market Share, driven by Jeff Gregory and trained by Linda Toscano, has won all four of his starts this year, including last week’s New Jersey Sire Stakes Green Acres Final.
The son of Revenue S-Classical Flirt has been assigned morning line odds of 2-1 and will leave from post three in the sixth race which drew six entrants. Another six will go postward in the first race.
The New Jersey Futurity is restricted to New Jersey-sired horses and is sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
The “open” for 2-year-old trotters includes three fillies (Green Acres filly winner Chocolatta De Vie, Purple Rain and All In The Muscles).
Market Share drew in with Vic Smith, the Yankee Glide-PJ Naomi colt who won his first five career starts before finishing second by a neck in a division of the Kindergarten Series on Sept. 22 at the Red Mile. The winner of the $175,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final at the Meadowlands in July, the Julie Miller-trained Vic Smith is rated 9-5 from the rail with Andy Miller driving.
Market Share has been a late maturing 2-year-old.
“He’s a nice colt that was slow getting started,” said Toscano. “He got a little sore in his knees so we quit for 30 days, and I thought I’d try him one more time. The time out did the trick, and he seems good now.
“He has the Futurity, and then I may take him up to Vernon for the last leg of the Kindergarten just to see how he handles a ship and the bigger track,” she added. “That’s all he is eligible to this year. He has no real vices. He’s just a nice colt.”
A modest $16,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, the colt has earned $23,750, thus far.
Market Share is owned by Richard Gutnick and Gary Cocco, the same team that also owns another Toscano trotting star, multi-stakes winner and $541,000 earner Chapter Seven (Windsong’s Legacy), who dominated the New Jersey-sired ranks at two and was fourth in this year’s Hambletonian along with victories in the Stanley Dancer Memorial and Bluegrass.
Here are the fields from the rail out with sire, driver, trainer and morning line.
Friday, Oct. 14–1st Race–$25,000 New Jersey Futurity: Map Of Hawaii (Chocolatier), Jim Pantaleano, Jim Campbell, 2-1; Purple Rain (Muscles Yankee), Jimmy Takter, Jimmy Takter, 3-1; Light N Shadow (Classic Photo), Steve Smith, Charlie Norris, 8-1; All In The Muscles (Muscles Yankee), Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 5-1; Kingapore (Revenue S), Jeff Gregory, Ray Schnittker, 6-1; and TG Rev (Revenue S), Jim Marshall III, Christopher Freck, 10-1.
Friday, Oct. 14–6th Race- $25,000 New Jersey Futurity: Vic Smith (Yankee Glide), Andy Miller, Julie Miller, 9-5; Markz Moose (Classic Photo), Jim Meittinis, Tyler Raymer, 5-1; Market Share (Revenue S), Jeff Gregory, Linda Toscano, 2-1; Funny Photo (Classic Photo), Jim Pantaleano, Rich Gillock, 10-1; Bad Day Black Rock (Revenue S), Jim Marshall III, Thomas O. Lail, 20-1; and Chocolatta Die Vie (Chocolatier), Steve Smith, Brian Roland, 8-1.