Karl is the 6-5 morning-line favorite to win the $1.05 million Hambletonian Stakes, the world’s most prestigious harness race for 3-year-old trotters, Saturday at the Meadowlands — and he’s got a winning team behind him.
The colt, who received the 2023 Dan Patch Award for best 2-year-old male trotter after a freshman season that saw him win nine of 10 races and earn $1.04 million, is trained by East Windsor-based Nancy Takter. The 2020 Trainer of the Year, Takter won her first Hambletonian last year with Tactical Approach and hopes to be the first trainer to win in back-to-back years since her father, Jimmy, turned the trick in 2014-2015.
“I think that would be pretty cool,” Takter said. “I’ve always tried to fill his shoes, which hasn’t always been easy, so if we can get it done, that would be great.”
Karl’s driver, Yannick Gingras, has been with Karl since the colt started racing. Gingras, who lives near Allentown, recently got his 9,000th win and ranks fourth in history for purse earnings, with horses he’s driven banking $230 million. Gingras and Takter teamed to win the 2020 Hambletonian Oaks, for 3-year-old female trotters, with Sorella. Takter is the only female trainer to ever win the Oaks.
Last week, Karl won his Hambletonian elimination race with a career-best time of 1:50.3 for the mile distance.
“I could not be any more confident in my horse,” Gingras said. “I think last week was the best start of his career. I think it’s all systems go. I think he’s coming into the race in peak form, we’ve just got to get the job done now. He’s a tremendous horse.”
For his career, Karl has won 14 of 16 races and earned $1.27 million in purses.
“I think he’s going to be peaking at the right time,” Takter said. “You kind of want to peak them for certain races, and this is definitely the race that we number one wanted to peak for.”
Karl’s biggest rival, TCI, will hope to dash their Hambletonian dreams. He won the second of last week’s two eliminations in a lifetime-best 1:50.4. He is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.
For his career, TCI has won 14 of 18 races and earned $1.41 million.
The Hambletonian will be the third meeting between Karl and TCI, and first since October of last year when Karl won the Breeders Crown. Three weeks prior at Lexington’s Red Mile, TCI defeated Karl in a division of the International Stallion Stakes.
Ron Burke, trainer of TCI, is eager for the showdown.
“I love it,” he said. “Nancy thinks hers is the best horse. I think mine is the best horse. So, let’s get it on. And I don’t discount any horse in there, but these two know how to win. That’s the one thing they do, they win.”
First-race post time Saturday at the Meadowlands is noon. The Hambletonian is race 12, with a 4:45 p.m. post time. The race will be broadcast live on FOX Sports, with coverage beginning at 4 p.m.
Habiba Atta is a recent graduate of Rutgers University who majored in Journalism and Media Studies and is writing as part of the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop.
Originally Published: August 1, 2024 at 5:42 p.m.
Source link : https://www.trentonian.com/2024/08/01/horse-racing-karl-heads-to-hambletonian-as-favorite-for-takter/
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Publish date : 2024-08-02 03:42:54
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