Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Campbell Wins Abbatiello NJ Classic

June 2, 2007

Trainer Joe Holloway made the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic the focus of Fresh Deck's season, a plan which paid off handsomely on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. Driven by John Campbell, Fresh Deck reached the lead in a :53.3 half and repelled the dogged challenge of his stablemate, Always A Virgin, as they hustled down the stretch. Campbell urged Fresh Deck into another gear as he held off the late rally of Yankee Skyscaper by a head in 1:49.4. Always A Virgin held on for third.

"Coming into the race I just knew that he had good gate speed and that he'd been racing up near the front all the time," said Campbell, who picked up his fifth victory in the sport's richest race restricted to statebred horses. "I thought we should be up near the front. Once he got to the lead, he just wanted to roll along there, but I was able to keep him rated enough and he had just enough to hold on. Artriverderci had pace in behind me and I didn't want to let him up the rail. I was just trying to coax as much as I could out of him. He was getting a little tired in the last sixteenth, but he's very gritty. He dug in really deep."

A $125,000 yearling purchase at the 2005 Lexington Selected Sale, Fresh Deck made just two starts as a freshman before being turned out because of soundness issues with his knees. Holloway brought Fresh Deck back to the races in late January with an eye on the New Jersey Classic. The son of Cam's Card Shark now sports a record of seven wins in 14 career starts. He has finished third or better in all 12 of his races this season for owners Val D'Or Farms [Marty Granoff] of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, Schoor-Racing Stable [Howard Schoor] of Manalapan, New Jersey and Ted Gewertz of New York, New York.

"The race was almost perfect," Holloway said. "It would have been better if I was one and two. Both horses raced great. Unfortunately, I don't know if it was the dust or the weather, since it was hot, but Always A Virgin started coughing in the detention barn. I'm not sure if it affected him, but he still raced great even though he was coughing. Fresh Deck warmed up great and raced great. Both horses are staying in New Jersey. Always A Virgin goes to the Pace [Meadowlands Pace on July 14] next."

Holloway picked up his third victory in the New Jersey Classic. He previously won the final in 2004 with Modern Art and 1995 with Jenna's Beach Boy. Earlier in the evening, Current Hanover captured the $200,000 Thomas D'Altrui Miss New Jersey in 1:50.3.

Southwind Rio was the first to fire to the lead, but driver George Brennan was not content to sit behind her for long and hustled Current Hanover to the lead in a hot :53.4 half. Current Hanover began pulling away from the field at the head of the stretch and held off the late rally of Platinum Hanover for a three-quarter-length victory. Current Hanover returned $8.60, $5.20, $2.60.

Lady Mattgalane, the 3-5 favorite, faded to third after grinding her way first-over and becoming rough-gaited in the stretch.

Current Hanover notched her second win this season and fourth in 12 career starts. Richard "Nifty" Norman trains the daughter of Western Ideal for David McDuffee of Nashua, New Hampshire and Irv Liverman of Hampstead, Quebec. She was a $75,000 yearling purchase at the 2005 Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"She was good last week and Nifty made a change on her this week," Brennan said. "He changed her bridle and she responded very well. I didn't know how the race was going to unfold. Pierce left out of there [with Southwind Rio] and there were other horses that I really didn't want to sit behind, so I had to move her back to the lead. Nifty had her on top of her game and she stepped it up. [The third-quarter breather] helped, shifting into the wind at the top of the lane."

$500,000 Abbatiello NJ Classic The Meadowlands, Race Five Saturday, June 2, 2007
H#-PP Horse                      Driver
6-6 Fresh Deck                     John Campbell
1-4 Yankee Skyscaper           George Brennan
3-1 Always A Virgin               Brian Sears
5-3 Artriverderci                  Ron Pierce
1A-5 Kinetic Yankee              Andy Miller
2A-10 Art At Heart                Pat Berry
2-8 Artist's View                    Daniel Dube
7-7 Watta Hotshot                 Mike Lachance
8-9 Radio City                      Yannick Gingras
4-2 Red Hot Yankee                Jim Morrill Jr
26.3      53.3      1:21.3      1:49.4