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RSS FeedA True Horseman |
Nov. 18, 2006
Categorized in: Home Showcase People
You can call him Abbie, AT, Tony, Thomas, Anthony, Captain, Commissioner, heck Anthony Abbottiello will answer to almost anything. Just don’t call him late for breakfast.
You can see Tony as I call him any weekday morning at 8:00Am eating breakfast and sharing coffee with his friends at a local restraunt in Colts Neck. Perkins to be exact.
Anthony Abbottiello is the guy with the cowboy hat. And with good reason. Tony is an active farmer and lived in CN since 1947. At one time Tony owned and farmed over 400 acres of Colts Neck’s prime land. Today, Colts Neck High School sits on one of his farms.
Tony first came to Colts Neck before it was called Colts Neck when he was 16 years old. Tony came here as a teenager from Staten Island and worked on the Bernadot farm which later became Due Process. This is where he learned the blacksmith trade and learned how to shoe horses.
It wasn’t long before Tony would learn how to train the horses to win races. He became a rider and a breeder and won 2 one million dollar purses. He raced in Yonkers, Roosevelt, and various raceways throughout the East Coast.
In 1962 Tony started the SBOA, Standard Bred Owners Association. The SBOA represents breeders and owners of race horses and makes sure they qualify for pensions and health insurance. The SBOA is currently housed on Rt. 33 in Manalapan where Tony helped them acquire their current building.
Owning Stallions and breeding horses required land and Tony bought his first farm with 60 acres and then acquired the adjoining Van Sickles Farm and the Wilkons Farms bringing the farm to 130 acres.
In 1973 Rt 18 was built and Tony lost between 15 to 20 acres of his farm for the benefit of the highway.
Today Tony still lives on the original farm he purchased. It is called Five Point Farm and has four ponds on it. Tony has the ponds stocked with fish and enjoys feeding and raising the fish and made sure the 70 acres that are remaining will never be developed and will remain a farm.
November is a good time to have Tony as the Home Showcase person of the Month because November hosts Veterans Day and Tony is a Veteran of the Army and the Korean War where he served from 1950 to 1952.
Although Tony does not talk about it, he was awarded two purple hearts. Tony was promoted to Captain on the Battlefield.
1960 Tony married Kathleen McMahon. Kathleen was born and raised in Freehold making her an official Jersey Girl. Tony and Kathleen are most proud of the 3 beautiful girls they have raised.
In 1962 Tony started the SBOA, Standard Bred Owners Association. The SBOA represents breeders and owners of race horses and makes sure they qualify for pensions and health insurance. The SBOA is currently housed on Rt. 33 in Manalapan where Tony helped them acquire their current building.
If it has to do with horses, Tony is there. Tony serves as the Chairman of the Board for the USTA, United States Trotters Association. Today Tony is on the New Jersey Horse Racing Commission where he is an active Commissioner.
So if you are Perkins early any week morning and you see a guy with a cowboy hat, chances are it is A.T. Be sure to introduce yourself and tip your own hat to a great man that not only served our country well but is a wonderful asset to the community and the people of New Jersey.
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