by Timothy M. Jones, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rochester, IL — The major stakes season will soon be underway and we’ll find out if the contenders at 2 will be pretenders one year hence, maintain their success, or exceed all expectations.

Trainer Erv Miller believes he has a strong contender in the 3-year-old colt pacing ranks with a big (16 hands), well-proportioned pacer in Zall Good.

Zall Good banked $126,623 last year as a 2-year-old.

As a freshman, Zall Good made seven starts, won five and posted one show. He earned $126,623 and took a race mark of 1:52.4. The bulk of his earnings came with a win in the $241,000 Orange and Blue final at Balmoral Park on Super Night.

“Super Night wasn’t really that much of a surprise,” explained Miller. “The horse always showed he had a lot of talent.

“I guess, that night, Marcus (Miller, Erv’s son and the colt’s regular pilot) thought (stablemate) Crime Of Passion was the horse to take and had the biggest chance to win maybe,” recalled the trainer. “I knew Zall Good had a lot of ability, but he just had not matured as much as I would have liked.”

Following a qualifier win at Balmoral Park, Zall Good’s first two starts, and wins, came somewhat late in the year when he captured Illinois Department of Agriculture races at the Illinois State Fair in August by open lengths. Miller didn’t believe the colt was totally ready yet to go for the big prize in the Fair’s Colt Stakes eliminations and final.

“We didn’t want to get him stressed out early, so we started him in a couple IDOA races at Springfield, and a qualifier at Balmoral, August 3. Our plan was to bring him along slowly, waiting on him to develop — get him ready for Super Night,” continued Miller. “I wanted to get him ready for the big stakes late in the year at home. We started later in the year with him because he just wasn’t able to handle the speed early like the other horse — Crime Of Passion.”

Zall Good was on a two-race winning streak that hit the skids in the Governor’s Cup final at the Du Quoin State Fair. Stablemate Crime Of Passion, the favorite who would fail to fire on Super Night, took a parked out lead at the three-quarter pole, then kicked home in :26.2, hitting the wire in 1:52 for a 2-1/4 length win over Peachys Pistol. Zall Good never really got into the fray, racing fifth most of the mile, then finishing fourth.

The bit was tightly clenched in his teeth in his next three starts, all wins that included the Orange and Blue elimination and final.

Timothy M. Jones photos

Zall Good finished his freshman season with a third place in a Late Closer at The Red Mile.

His season ended with a start in a Late Closer at The Red Mile. In that contest, Zall Good led the field entering the stretch, but :25.4 and :26.2 final panels by winner Divulge and runner-up Rockweiller, respectively, pushed Zall Good to third.

Scoping sick following that race, Zall Good was sent to Kentuckiana Farms to recuperate.

Miller explained, “We didn’t want to continue racing him and taking the chance of hurting his breathing, so we stopped with him. He’s been training in Florida with us since the R&R at Kentuckiana.

“He came out of the winter really nice. Big, black and well proportioned. Really a great looking horse. We’re looking at getting him a start in the middle of May or so.

“He had a good season last year. By not racing him too often, we accomplished what we planned with him. That was our design. He got somewhat lucky and got the big one Super Night.

“The main priority was not to get too many starts in him, or hurt him as a 2-year-old. I think we got that accomplished, plus some money on his card. He was only an $11,000 yearling purchase at Walker’s sale. That’s a pretty good turnaround.”

Zall Good is staked primarily to the major stakes in Illinois at Balmoral and Maywood Parks. The Pepsi North America Cup looms early in his campaign, and may provide an early glimpse of the 2012 ride through the pacing ranks. The half-brother to 2011 Illinois standout Dutch Richman is also eligible to the American-National at Balmoral and a couple Open stakes in Indiana.

“Maybe over time I’ve changed my training philosophy a little bit,” said Miller. “I see the possibility of making a better racehorse later on as a 3-year-old. I think the time you give a young horse — like Zall Good — to grow up, the better off you are. I think he’s a very fast horse. We’ll see through the year.

“That kind of horse, it’s just the idea — when he gets to meet those other top horses. It’s my belief his ability will shine.

“Mike Anderson (whose wife Mary Jane is Zall Good’s owner) has a lot of faith in the horse, and I think he’ll do well for him. I think he’ll come back awfully good for him.”

The Erv Miller stable has a very good reputation for success with young stakes horses. Will Zall Good be another addition to a long line of success stories? We’ll soon find out.

After two qualifiers, and providing he stays healthy, the story unfolds in the Cardinal Stake in late May at Balmoral Park.