Freehold, NJ --- Norman and Gerald Smiley, TLP Stable, and Sampson St. Stable's McArdle set a new stakes record of 1:544 in winning the $75,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings at Freehold Raceway on Saturday.
McArdle, a son of Falcon Seelster driven by Cat Manzi, made every pole a winning one, cutting fractions of :282, :58, and 1:263 en route to a three and one-quarter length tally in the record time of 1:544. The clocking erased the former sire stakes record for 2-year-old colts, which had been set by Falcon's Icon in 1998.
Mystic Art (Jeff Gregory) mounted a three-wide rally approaching the three panel mark and held-on gamely for second, with Five Card Cam (Ross Wolfenden), who briefly held the lead after the start, finishing third, six and one-quarter lengths behind the winner.
McArdle won for the fifth time in eight career starts in capturing the sire stakes final. Closing as the prohibitive 3-10 favorite, coupled with John Ball Jones in the wagering, he returned across the board payoffs of $2.60, $2.10, and $2.10. Mystic Art paid $3.20 and $2.10, and a show ticket on Five Card Cam was worth $2.10.
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