Competitive Preferred Pace Field at Freehold Saturday

Freehold Raceway will host 10 races this Saturday (January 4), with a 7-horse Preferred Handicap pace serving as the headliner. 

 

The winners of the past two Preferreds are back for more: The Onlyest One and Exit Cam. The former took the Preferred on December 21, then won by a nose last week for a $20,000 tag. He’s finished first or second in three of his last four starts. Joe Bongiorno will steer from post position four for trainer Nick Surick. Exit Cam has also won two in a row, most recently scoring in the Preferred by a neck last week at 15/1. He was assigned post position six for trainer Karen Garland and driver Steve Smith. 

 

The Onlyest One is one of two in the race for Surick. The other, Lucan Hanover, has been in fine form since coming to Freehold. In four starts at this track, he’s won twice, and hit the board the other two times. Most recently, he finished third in the Preferred after leading most of the way. Andy Miller was named to drive, from post position five. 

 

Statement Made, from post position seven, is the likely favorite. He’s coming off a fifth-place finish in the Preferred at the Meadowlands. Two starts back, he won an upper-condition pace at Harrah’s Philadelphia, pacing the mile in a sharp 1:51. For the first time, Jim Marohn Jr. will drive, for trainer Tahnee Camilleri,

 

Polak, Ozone Blue Chip, and Mako Banner round out the field.