Takter aims for Hambletonian three-peat

6:49 PM ET

It is no secret that trainer Jimmy Takter has enjoyed great success in the Hambletonian Stakes.

The 55-year-old Hall of Famer has won the race four times, including each of the past two years, and would become the first trainer in history to three-peat with a win on Saturday. A victory would also give Takter a record-tying fifth triumph, putting him in the company of Stanley Dancer, Billy Haughton and Ben White in that elite club.

But what is the secret to his success?

“The secret, I think, is to stick with what you normally do,” Takter said. “Most trainers, including me when I was younger, start thinking about it and changing stuff and doing things differently. People start over-doing things, train the horses maybe a little harder, or whatever. I don’t think that’s smart. I think that’s where experience comes in.

“The horse has no clue it’s the Hambletonian. The driver and trainer, yes. But the horse has no clue.”

Takter will send five horses into Saturday’s $1 million Hambletonian for 3-year-old trotters at the Meadowlands Racetrack: Bar Hopping, Lagerfeld, Love Matters, Jimmy William, and Reigning Moni.

The Hambletonian format calls for any eliminations to be contested the same day as the final. A total of 18 horses entered this year’s event, requiring two eliminations from which the top five finishers in each division advance to the final. The winner of the final is the Hambletonian champion.

Bar Hopping is …

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