Hambletonian showdown: ‘Let’s get it on’

Since the end of last year, harness racing fans have looked forward to a third meeting between 3-year-old trotters Karl (Tactical Landing) and T C I (Cantab Hall). The award-winning colts split their two encounters in 2023, and after both beginning this season in May, will finally compete together in the same race on Saturday at The Meadowlands.

The fact the encounter will occur in the sport’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters, the $1.05 million Hambletonian, with both horses coming off elimination wins last week, has only heightened the drama.

Count trainer Ron Burke among the group who can’t wait for the clash.

“I love it,” said Burke, who will send out T C I against the Nancy Takter-trained Karl. “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.”

Yannick Gingras, who will drive the Karl, the Hambletonian’s 6-5 morning-line favorite, also counted himself among those looking forward to the matchup. But he, too, was not discounting any of Karl’s and T C I’s eight rivals.

“It’s far from just a TCI-Karl race, in my opinion,” Gingras said. “I think it’s a strong field. I think you can make a case for five or six horses to win the race given the right trip. I thought a couple horses were pretty impressive in the eliminations, Karl and TCI included, obviously.”

Karl won his Hambletonian elimination last week by 1-1/4 lengths over Bella’s Musclehill in a career-best 1:50.3. Karl left alertly from post six and settled into third prior to reaching the midpoint of the first turn, began a first-up march entering the final turn, and overtook leader Situationship in mid-stretch on his way to victory.

Gingras and Karl will start Saturday from post one.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s probably not the post I would have picked if I got to pick, but with the way it shook out with where other horses drew in the race, I think it’s actually a good spot for him,” Gingras said. “The way he left the gate last week, it was the first time I kind of asked him, and he really responded well. And, really, he did it on his own. I had planned on going out of there, but he dragged me out of there, in a good way.”

Karl, who had finished third in a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial two weeks prior to the Hambletonian elims, has won 14 of 16 career races and earned $1.27 million. He was the 2023 Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old male trotter. He is owned by Christina and Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, Crawford Farms Racing, and Bender Sweden.

“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, and we’ve just got to get the job done now. He’s a tremendous horse.”

Takter, who won the Hambletonian last year with Tactical Approach, is bidding to become the first trainer to win the race in back-to-back years since her father, Jimmy, in 2014 with Trixton and 2015 with Pinkman. The only other trainer to pull off consecutive victories since the Hambletonian moved to The Meadowlands in 1981 was Per Eriksson in 1991-92.

“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.”

T C I won his Hambletonian elimination by a neck over Private Access in a career-best 1:50.4. The victory snapped a two-race skid, which included a third-place finish in his division of the Dancer Memorial, after the colt had won his first three races of the season.

He will start the Hambletonian from post four with driver David Miller and is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.

“I couldn’t have been happier with him,” Burke said about the elimination victory. “He came back sharp. He was super. He was just dull (in the Dancer). As much as anything, his stomach was an issue, so we went to work on that.

“I could tell when I trained him last week that he was 90 percent. I just got off him right now (Wednesday) and he was 100 percent.”

Last season, T C I won 10 of 12 races and earned $1.23 million to become the richest 2-year-old male trotter in history. He received the O’Brien Award for best freshman male trotter to race in Canada, where his triumphs included the Mohawk Million.

T C I was named for vacation destination Turks and Caicos Islands. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi.

The $1.05 million Hambletonian will be race 12 with a post time of 4:45 p.m. (EDT) and air nationally on Fox Sports. The companion $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks is race 14 and will go at 6:06 p.m. and air on FS2.

For all the ways to watch on Hambletonian Day, click here.

Racing begins at noon. For free program pages, visit The Meadowlands website.

Race 12 – Post time 4:45 p.m. (EDT)

PP – Horse – Sire – Driver – Trainer – Odds

1 – Karl (Tactical Landing) – Yannick Gingras – Nancy Takter – 6-5

2 – Mars Hill (Muscle Hill) – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna – 20-1

3 – Highland Kismet (Father Patrick) – Bob McClure – Mark Etsell – 5-1

4 – T C I (Cantab Hall) – David Miller – Ron Burke – 5-2

5 – Security Protected (Father Patrick) – Tim Tetrick – Marcus Melander – 20-1

6 – Bella’s Musclehill (Muscle Hill) – Scott Zeron – Nifty Norman – 15-1

7 – Secret Agent Man (Chapter Seven) – Andy Miller – Julie Miller – 12-1

8 – Sig Sauer (Muscle Hill) – Andrew McCarthy – Noel Daley – 4-1

9 – Private Access (Muscle Hill) – James MacDonald – Luc Blais – 10-1

10 – Amazing Catch (Walner) – Dexter Dunn – Ake Svanstedt – 20-1

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA