The Meadowlands has announced that with its upcoming 46th edition, the Mistletoe Shalee, a time-honoured Grand Circuit stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies, will be renamed to pay tribute to one of racing’s most colourful personalities, the late U.S. Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Silverman.
A native New Yorker, Mr. Silverman grew up in the Bronx and was among many of that generation who made his bones by attending the races on the Yonkers/Roosevelt circuit. With no family history in the business, Silverman found a way in and quickly ascended to the top rung of the sport with the modestly priced ($8,500) yearling Romeo Hanover, who was the top two- and three-year-old pacer of his class and won 31 of 35 career starts including the 1966 Pacing Triple Crown.
Silverman maintained a large stable of Grand Circuit prospects at The Meadowlands through the glory years of the 1980s into the ‘90s. He trained horses for the highest profile owners of those years and had a strong presence in the major races for decades.
Among the top horses that raced out of the Silverman barn over his six-decade career were 1990 Woodrow Wilson champ Die Laughing p,3,1:51.2 ($2,164,388), 1982 Meadowlands Pace winner Hilarion and other Grand Circuit stars like Fame p,2,1:55.3 ($502,942), Perfect Union p,3,1:49 ($723,598) and Vintner p,4,1:52.1 ($342,802).
Perhaps his most cherished victory was the 1986 Breeders Crown with the free-legged three-year-old colt pacer Masquerade, who was driven by his son Richie at a mere 22 years of age.
The choice of a filly pacing stakes seems apropos as Silverman had quite a way with the ladies and developed some of the sport's finest. Among the exceptional females that bore the Silverman banner were Breeders Crown winner Glowing Report, p,5,1:49.2 ($2,095,144), world champion Hit Parade p,2,1:53.4, Must See p,2,1:52, Summer Child p,2,1:54.2 and the iron-tough Saccharum p,4,1:53.3.
Silverman's girls also produced at a high level. Must See is the dam of 2009 U.S. Pacer of the Year Well Said p,3,1:47.3 ($2,690,820) and prolific producer Rodine Hanover p, 2,1:54 shows up in the pedigree of many current champions.
On the topic of bloodlines, Silverman's son Richie enjoyed an accomplished career as a driver, winning more than $30 million and nearly 2000 races, including many Grand Circuit stakes.
The past winners of the stakes now known as the Jerry Silverman Memorial include such all-time greats as Three Diamonds, Miss Easy, Shes A Great Lady, Bunny Lake, Kissin In The Sand, and who can forget last season's thriller won by Sylvia Hanover.
The 2024 Jerry Silverman Memorial is scheduled for "The Biggest Party in Harness Racing" on Meadowlands Pace night, July 13.
(Meadowlands)