from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — The storyline bears a striking resemblance to one which takes place on television’s Wisteria Lane.

A 40-something family man puts a successful career on hold in order to fulfill the dream of opening his own pizza place. But unlike the character Tom Scavo on ABC’s Desperate Housewives, Jim Campbell was soon itching to go back to the career he is best known for — training racehorses.

Campbell, 45, campaigned an impressive roster of trotting and pacing talent, including world champion Galleria and 1995 Hambletonian winner Tagliabue, before he downsized his stable in 2006 and opened Jimmy C’s Pizza Café in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. However, after just a few months of tossing pizza dough, he longed to get back to the barn full-time. Campbell began restocking his stable last fall and now has several horses racing at the Meadowlands, including the entry of Yankee Stardom and Big Stack in Friday night’s (April 6) opening round of the Robert J. Suslow Stake.

“I had no reason whatsoever to be sour on the horse business,” Campbell said. “It’s been very good to me over the years. Maybe I was a little burned out and just wanted to try something different. The pizzeria was something I always had in the back of my mind and wanted to try. The opportunity came up and I took it. But after four or five months, I realized it just wasn’t for me, nor my family. It was all new to me and I adjusted to it. I did all the things I needed to do in there, cooking and everything. It was time consuming. My wife and son were much happier when I was training horses and I realized I was as well. So, I’m back in action full time and there’s nothing else.”

Campbell, who won the 1989 training title at the Meadowlands, has conditioned the winners of more than $19 million over the past 25 years. He spent 10 years as the private trainer for Arlene and Jules Siegels’ Fashion Farms, during which time he won the 1997 Woodrow Wilson with Real Artist and campaigned the undefeated 2002 2-Year-Old Colt Trotter of the Year Broadway Hall.

Campbell parted ways with the Siegels in 2004 and opened a public stable once again before trying his luck as a restaurateur. It was the second time he embarked on another career path. He briefly gave real estate a shot before teaming with the Siegels in the early 1990s.

“I have twice ventured outside the horse business now, but I wasn’t out of it totally,” he said. “When I was doing a bit of real estate I still had five horses, and this time with the pizza business, I was down to one horse.”

Campbell now has several promising 3-year-olds in his barn, including Yankee Stardom and Big Stack. The duo is rated at 7-2 on the morning line in the $22,500 first leg of the Robert J. Suslow Stake on Friday night. Yankee Stardom (head #1) drew post three and Big Stack (head #1A), post 11, in the evening’s featured eighth race.

“It’s been kind of an up and down season for Yankee Stardom so far,” Campbell said. “He got off to a real good start and showed us a lot of promise. Then, he had the incident on the night that he fell (January 10 at the Meadowlands). It was pretty much a greenness thing. He darted in sideways and tripped himself up in the hopples. We got him back qualified after that and he bounced back really good. However, one of his knees was bothering him. It was a superficial swelling from the incident and when he was going through the Junior Trendsetter Series, he just wasn’t 100 percent.

“Then, there was an overnight (March 4) when he just didn’t race good,” he continued. “He was flat and rough gaited. He came back from that one and raced well on the front end in the first leg of the Matt’s Scooter Series. He paced in 1:52.3, which was the fastest he’d ever gone. Two starts back, he had no pop and bled a little bit. We put him on Lasix and we were real happy with him last time.”

In his last start, Yankee Stardom closed from last to finish second in the Matt’s Scooter Consolation on March 30. He has won two of 10 starts lifetime.

“He’s on the big side and we’re real happy with the way he’s coming around now,” he said.

Campbell’s other Suslow contender, Big Stack, has already gained notoriety as the horse that provided his older brother, John, the sport’s all-time leading driver, with his first victory since recovering from a broken leg. John Campbell co-owns both of his brother’s Suslow starters, sharing ownership of Yankee Stardom with Emposimato Stables and Big Stack with John Fielding.

“When Big Stack won last Sunday, it was just one of those days when everything worked out and it was great to see my brother get his first win since coming back,” he said. “John owns a piece of this horse and it was a very exciting day.”

Although Big Stack is two-for-two this season, Campbell had expected more from him as a freshman.

“As a 2-year-old, he didn’t do much and that was a disappointment,” he said. “He trained down really well and John thought he’d have a decent year. John trained him a lot and we both figured he’d have a good fall (season) at Freehold. For whatever reason, it just wasn’t his time. He’s been good and sound and can get around any size track. After his last race, we gelded him and decided to turn him out. He’s really come back nicely. Maybe it’s just because he’s a Cam’s Card Shark and we have to wait on him a bit. There’s nothing physically wrong with him.”

Jim Campbell has already built up a stable of 11 horses at White Birch Farm in Allentown, N.J.

“Right now, I’m training five 2-year-olds and six 3-year-olds,” he said. “I’m just happy with the 2-year-olds at this point. I have a Conway Hall 3-year-old trotter named World Class Guy for Arlene and Jules Siegel and he’s ready for New York Sires Stakes. He’s got some ability and we’re looking for good things from him.”

And despite spending six months cooking pizza all day long, he is still not sick of it.

“I could eat it everyday but my wife, Daria, is such a good cook it’s nice to eat at home again,” he said.