Major upset in Big M New Jersey Sire Stakes

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Up Your Deo (Walner) stunned a field scratched to 10 to win the $30,000 New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) second leg for sophomore trotting colts at odds of 43-1 on May 20 at The Meadowlands. The colt recorded his first victory defeating favorite Oh Well in a duel to the finish of a 1:52 mile.

The field left the gate swiftly with trotters three wide pushing for the lead. The trio of Dire Straits, Up Your Deo from the second tier and Kimmeridgian settled in a line past a :27.1 quarter. But, Oh Well demanded the top spot and soared through the backstretch to take control.

Oh Well went smoothly through a :56 half and looked well enough to motor home while posting three-quarters in 1:25.2 until Up Your Deo took after him to pose a serious challenge down the stretch. Up Your Deo lunged forward continuously in the stretch to overpower Oh Well by a head in the shadow of the finish pole. Tactical Approach, the crowd’s second choice in the wagering, finished third and Celebrity Bambino, off a first-over push around the far turn, took fourth.

Trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt, Suleyman Yuksel Stables, Deo Volente Farms and Van Camp Trotting Corp own Up Your Deo, whose winning share of the purse upped his bankroll to $82,687. The colt’s first win was worth $89.60 to his backers.

UP YOUR DEO REPLAY

Co-owner Mike Gulotta of Deo Volente Farms said he was not shocked that the colt’s first victory came in this race. “He won his qualifier,” Gulotta said, “and [went] his last quarter in :27.1. Sarah [Svanstedt] said he’s ‘really, really good and Ake said he’s easy to drive [and] it’s easy to look like a great driver when you have an easy horse to drive. We bred him. We bought the mare for like $35,000 and bred it to Walner and got lucky.”

Up Your Deo was sold at Lexington for $100,000 and Gulotta was offered to buy in as an owner for 20 percent? “And I said ‘Sure, why not?’ It’s not too often you can stay in on a horse you bred.”

The connections had high hopes for Up The Deo. At 2 he went in 1:52.4 and was competitive in the Valley Victory and Kindergartens but was winless at the end of his freshman campaign.

The first of two $30,000 divisions of the NJSS for the sophomore filly trotters went to Secret Volo (Walner). Brian Sears drove her to a 1:53.2 personal mark by a head over favorite Mambacita.

Marcus Melander trains the filly for Heights Stable, Rick T. Wahlstedt and Kenneth Kjellgren who share ownership. She paid $4.00 to win. Tactical Mounds finished third.

SECRET VOLO REPLAY

The 2022 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year, Special Way (Walner), with driver-trainer Ake Svanstedt won the second filly division by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:53.4. The filly’s ninth win in a row was worth $2.20 to win.

Brittany Farms LLC, Marvin Katz and Al J. Libfeld are the owners. Walner Payton was second. Blonde Bombshell was third.

SPECIAL WAY REPLAY

For complete race results, click here.

by Frank Cotolo, for The Meadowlands