by Carol Hodes, for the SBOA of New Jersey

Manalapan, NJ — If happiness equals victory, it will be hard to deny success for Dial Or Nodial who makes his next start in Saturday night’s (June 6) elims for the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic at the Meadowlands.

What makes the 3-year-old pacer happy is mud and with lots of rain this week, he is probably having a grand time.

“Dial is a real nice horse to be around,” said trainer Jim Campbell, who is stabled at White Birch Farm in Allentown, N.J. “He likes to be out in the paddock as much as possible, and if there is mud he will find it.”

Dial Or Nodial, voted the New Jersey Sire Stakes Horse of the Year in 2008, heads the list of 14 3-year-old pacing colts in pursuit of a starting berth in the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic, the richest of all state-bred events.

There will be a pair of $25,000 elimination races for the New Jersey Classic on June 6 and two $20,000 elims on June 5 for its filly companion event, the $200,000 Thomas D’Altrui Miss New Jersey. The top five finishers in each elim will advance to the finals on Saturday, June 13, at the Meadowlands.

Both events are sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.

Dial Or Nodial will start from post four in the third race, the first of the New Jersey Classic elims, with Brian Sears driving. He is rated the 6-5 favorite in the morning line.

After finishing second in his season’s debut, the son of Western Ideal paced a lifetime best 1:50.1 to win the $200,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship on May 30.

Dial Or Nodial was one of the nation’s top 2-year-old colts last year, winning eight of 12 starts and $414,124 toward his career total of $529,474.

Bred and owned by Arlene and Jules Siegel of New Hope, Pa., he is out of the Abercrombie mare, Smart Dialing.

“I did train his mother,” Campbell noted. “She was fast but just had bad luck on the track.”

Dial Or Nodial is the only listed gelding in the New Jersey Classic elims.

“He was gelded March 1, 2008,” Campbell recalled. “He was just not paying attention during his training miles. He turned around right after the gelding.”

The pacer won back-to-back New Jersey Sire Stakes in his first two career starts in August of 2008 and added the $85,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Final at Freehold on September 20. In two stops at Lexington’s Red Mile, he also won divisions of the Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes. He wrapped up his 2-year-old season in the $700,000 Breeders Crown Final at the Meadowlands on November 29, finishing third by 2-1/4 lengths.

“I thought in the Breeders Crown he was as good as any of them,” Campbell noted. “Getting locked in cost him the race.”

This year’s schedule could be just as ambitious if Dial Or Nodial matches expectations.

“He is staked to everything, but we are going to take it one race at a time,” said Campbell. “The Meadowlands Pace (on July 18) is one of the major races we are pointing towards.”

The elimination fields for the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic:

Race 3-Saturday, June 6
HD-PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1-6-Vertical Horizon-Daniel Dube-Bernie Noren-5-1
1A-7-Amazon Art-George Brennan-Ken Rucker-5-1
2-1-Ideal Danny-Andy Miller-Erv Miller-3-1
3-2-Somebrero Blue Chip-George Brennan-Bruce Saunders-10-1
4-3-Dial Or Nodial-Brian Sears-Jim Campbell-6-5
5-4-Western Posse-Andrew McCarthy-Noel Daley-6-1
6-5-Estero Bay-Tim Tetrick-Erv Miller-9-2

Race 5 -Saturday, June 6
HD-PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line
1-2-Vintage Master-Daniel Dube-Jimmy Takter-2-1
1A-5-Passmaster Hanover-Tim Tetrick-Blair Burgess-2-1
2-1-Poker Shark-Brian Sears-Joe Holloway-10-1
3-3-Lisdean-Eric Goodell-Ken Rucker-8-1
4-4-Redneck Riviera-Andy Miller-Erv Miller-9-5
5-6-Riding The Rapids-Yannick Gingras-Ross Croghan-4-1
6-7-Lightning Elvis-George Brennan-Tony Mannino-5-1