Hoosier Cup runner-up Allthatgltrsisgold makes his Meadowlands debut for trainer Bobby Brower in Saturday night's eliminations for the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic
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The colt is one of 17 entrants vying for a starting berth in the New Jersey Classic Final, which is restricted to New Jersey-sired three-year-old pacers, on June 12. The New Jersey Classic and its companion event for fillies, the $175,000 Thomas D'Altrui Miss New Jersey, are sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey and named to honour two of the organization's founding members.
Allthatgltrsisgold is rated at 6-1 from post seven (program number six) in the first of the two $25,000 eliminations. He finished second to World Of Rocknroll in his dominant Hoosier Cup win on May 29 and enters Saturday's race with a slate of six wins, five seconds and two thirds in 18 starts and earnings of $211,604. Ron Pierce will sit behind the colt Saturday night, though Brower indicated that the colt's regular partner, Dave Magee, would fly in next week if the colt made the final.
"He was second from post 11 in the Hoosier Cup and I wasn't surprised at all," Brower said. "We had prepped the horse for that race and he's good coming from behind. We had some good racing luck coming out of the second tier and so did World Of Rocknroll from post 12. We figured nobody would be ducking going for a half-million dollars, so I told Dave Magee to get into the flow. We ended up second over turning for home and it worked out pretty good.
"I shipped him on Wednesday night to a friend of mine, Christopher Freck, and I'll be on an airplane Saturday morning," he continued. "I last raced at the Meadowlands in the early nineties. I had the last Steady Star and we had him in the Trendsetter Series."
A son of Cams Card Shark-Glitter N Glitz, Allthatgltrsisgold is a homebred owned by Maria and Jeff King's Victory Hill Farm of Lagrange, Indiana. The colt was a consistent earner at age two, hitting the board in 10 of 13 starts and finishing second in the $180,000 American-National Final.
"I broke Allthatgltrsisgold as a two-year-old," Brower said. "You could tell the horse had a lot of talent. Maria and Jeff King raised several foals out of the dam, Glitter N Glitz. Noel Daley had one a few years ago named Glittering Beaches that made $225,000. The dam was a real hotheaded mare and some of her foals were headstrong. So, last year, I drove the horse to teach him some manners, and he finished second in the American National for Dave Magee.
"When we brought him back this year, the horse matured," he continued. "Dave Magee has given him high praise about how much more manageable he is. He's got what I call Grade A speed to go with the good ones if he's driven the right way."
That speed was evident in the colt's first appearance on the racetrack as a three-year-old. He fired off a :26 final quarter toward a 1:53.2 clocking in a qualifier on April 16 at Hoosier Park. He dusted the competition by 28 lengths in that effort.
"After I qualified him, the phone started ringing," Brower said. "They've turned down a bunch of money for him, but Victory Hill Farm is in the breeding business. Maria and Jeff King are both veterinarians. Maria likes to race them and Jeff is into the breeding. They want a horse to stand stud that they raised at their farm. They're excited to have a horse racing at this level."
A lifelong horseman, Brower, 48, is a native of Paducah, Kentucky. He got his start in the business working for Morris Stubbs and also assisted the late Billy Haughton when his stable would stop at the Red Mile for the Grand Circuit races each fall. Brower made a strategic move to Indiana eight years ago, optimistic that the state's racing industry would eventually benefit from alternative gaming revenue.
"I have a public stable of 30 horses at the Indianapolis Fairgrounds for 10 different owners," he said. "I've been pretty fortunate, had some success with a trotting mare named Jolly Jessica, and won some Indiana Sires Stakes."
The fields for the New Jersey Classic eliminations are below.
$25,000 First Elimination - Race 3
#, PP, Horse [Sire], Driver, Trainer, Morning Line
1, 4, Woodstock [Rocknroll Hanover], Tim Tetrick, Noel Daley, 9-5
1A, 6, Pike Hanover [Western Ideal], Andy Miller, Erv Miller, 9-5
2, 1, BJs Bequia [Rocknroll Hanover], Daniel Dube, Jeff Webster, 8-1
3, 2, Valentino [Rocknroll Hanover], George Brennan, Lou Pena, 5-2
4, 3, Shoobees Place [Artsplace], David Miller, Richard Norman, 5-1
5, 5, Classic Rock Nroll [Rocknroll Hanover], John Campbell, Larry Remmen, 8-1
6, 7, Allthatgltrsisgold [Cams Card Shark] Ron Pierce, Bobby Brower, 6-1
7, 8, Urgent Action [Artsplace], Richard Silverman, Jerry Silverman, 12-1
$25,000 Second Elimination - Race 10
#, PP, Horse [Sire], Driver, Trainer, Morning Line
1, 2, Foreign Officer [Western Ideal], Yannick Gingras, Tony Alagna, 4-5
1A, 7, World Of Rocknroll [Rocknroll Hanover], Tim Tetrick, Richard Norman, 4-5
1B, 8, All Speed Hanover [Cams Card Shark], Ron Pierce, Noel Daley, 4-5
2, 1, Sunshine Superman [Rocknroll Hanover], George Brennan, Jeff Webster, 8-1
3, 3, Cambassador [Cams Card Shark], Daniel Dube, Steve Elliott, 15-1
4, 4, Summer Camp [Rocknroll Hanover], Tyler Buter, John Butenschoen, 10-1
5, 5, Piece Of The Rock [Rocknroll Hanover], John Campbell, Ron Coyne Jr., 5-1
6, 6, Dreamlands Art [Artsplace], Andy Miller, Keith Armer, 8-1
7, 9, BG's Folly [Rocknroll Hanover], David Miller, George Berkner, 4-1
(Meadowlands Racetrack)