Karl headed to stud next year

The connections of Hambletonian champion Karl (Tactical Landing) have revealed breeding plans for the star three-year-old trotting colt.

Co-owner Crawford Farms Racing’s Michelle Crawford announced during the The Red Mile broadcast on Sunday, Oct. 6 that Karl will be standing stud in 2025. Those details were confirmed by Diamond Creek Farm’s Adam Bowden and Shaun Laungani in the farm’s Creekside Chat podcast released on Friday, Oct. 10.

“Post-Futurity, we’ve acquired a significant portion of the horse,” said Bowden, indicating the deal was finalized on Sunday morning before the 2024 Kentucky Futurity. Bowden indicated that the stallion would be syndicated, with stud fee and syndication details likely to be released between the Breeders Crown and Harrisburg yearling sale.

To date, the colt has won 18 of his 22 starts while earning $2.4 million in purses under the care of trainer Nancy Takter for owners Christina And Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing, Crawford Farms Racing and Bender Sweden Inc.

Karl was a Kentucky champion during his Dan Patch Award-winning two-year-old campaign and was the season’s fastest two-year-old trotter with a mark of 1:51.2 taken in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile. He also earned Grand Circuit stakes victories in the Breeders Crown, Kindergarten Classic and Valley Victory.

This year, he added the New Jersey Sire Stakes title to his resume along with a division of the Reynolds Stakes before his biggest victory in the $1.45 million Hambletonian. He’s since taken a new lifetime mark of 1:50.2 in a leg of the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile.

From Standardbred Canada