After finishing last in the North America Cup final on June 26, All Speed Hanover looks to rebound in the first of Saturday's three Meadowlands Pace eliminations

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The North America Cup was a rare blemish on All Speed Hanover's otherwise impressive record of seven wins in 12 career races. The son of Cams Card Shark has earned $661,968 for trainer Noel Daley and owners Adam Victor & Son Stable and John Fielding.

"He wasn't sick, but he had a good excuse for getting beat [in the North America Cup]," explained his driver, Ron Pierce. "I had a hard time scoring him down. I went to take him off the gate to follow John [Campbell] with Rock N Roll Heaven, and my colt started kicking the bike. By then it was too late to leave out of there because some others had left pretty hard. I still wound up getting behind the favorite, but he was fussing and fighting with me the whole way. He didn't want to relax because he was hitting the bike, and I think he ended up choking around the last turn.

"When they hit the stirrups with their hocks, that hurts," Pierce continued. "It was making him angry. I think he just pulled the bike up underneath him when I grabbed him up behind the gate. It was the pressure I put on his mouth, and sometimes the crouper gets loose or stretches. When that happened, I knew we were in trouble. I got a good trip, they went fast fractions [fastest three quarters in NA Cup history - 1:20.4], and I thought at the very least we could get a big piece of it, maybe second or third. I don't know if we would have caught Sportswriter, but I was very concerned about him not relaxing. That horse is usually relaxed, happy and drives with two fingers. He had never done that before. He's got a big chance to regroup for the Meadowlands Pace."

(Meadowlands)