Friday’s $130,000 Abe Lincoln Stakes looks to be the one of the most wide open of the four major stakes on the Windy City Pace Night card. The morning line for this affair certainly reflects that, as American National Stakes winner OK Commander is just a lukewarm 3-1 choice of the track handicapper among the field of nine two-year-old pacing colts.
Coming off his maiden victory in last Saturday’s $180,000 American National at Balmoral Park, the $72,000 son of Art Major--Double Crème will have to put the speed he flashed in that victory to good use if he’s going to overcome the outside starting spot in a field which includes a trailer.
In his American National score, OK Commander left quickly to get to the front. After giving way to a pair of hard-charging rivals, he was sent back to the top by Brian Sears who was handling the driving duties for trainer Gregg McNair.
Tim Tetrick is scheduled to drive OK Commander in the Abe Lincoln.
“This horse has been victimized by some tough trips this season, but he has very good speed and he can be tough to pass once he gets on top,” said Sears after last week’s victory. “He showed that here by digging in gamely and holding off the big late charge of that horse on the outside.”
That 'horse on the outside' was Victory Hill Farms' Allthatgltrsisgold, who is the third choice in the morning line after drawing the advantageous inside starting spot.
The homebred son of Cams Card Shark--Glitter N Glitz uncorked a wicked :26.2 final quarter as he rallied from seventh to second in the American National. The Bobby Brower-trained colt has shown a great deal of versatility in his 12-race career, winning a late closer at the Red Mile from well off the early pace in 1:52.1 and then following that victory up with a front-stepping score in another late closer the following week in 1:54.2 over a 'sloppy' track. A model of consistency, Allthatgltrsisgold has been on the board in 10 of 12 starts while earning over $75,000.
The Joe Seekman-trained Morgan Shark will start from the second tier in the dash, and with a little racing luck, the 7-2 second choice is more than capable of making amends for his loss as the favourite in the American National.
Forced to make two moves and then stuck on the outside when he could not clear, OK Commander wound up sixth that night.
With first or second place finishes in eight of his nine career starts and more than $90,000 in earnings for Jim Jesk’s Sawgrass Farms, Morgan Shark owns a mark of 1:52.3 which was taken in the Keystone Classic Stakes at the Meadows this summer.
(With files from Maywood)