KARL AND T C I SCORE EASY IN HAMBO ELIMS

Monday, July 29, 2024

Karl and T C I won the first and second $100,000 Hambletonian elimination splits, respectively, and under relative ease at The Meadowlands on Saturday night (July 27).

Karl’s personal-best time of 1:50.3 for the mile was a strong rebound from his only loss of the season in the Stanley Dancer Memorial two weeks ago.

Yannick Gingras, in the bike again, rested Karl into third while Situationship flew from post 10 to take the early lead over Security Protected in a fiery first quarter of :26.3. By the :55.2 half, Karl took to the outside and cruised by Situationship after three-quarters in 1:23.3. Gingras nursed Karl through the lane and crossed the line under wraps and 1-1/4 lengths in front. A late-charging Bella’s Musclehill angled from second over to finish second with Sig Sauer finishing third.

“He bounced back [from a loss] and was the best he ever looked or left from the gate,” Nancy Takter said. “I don’t mind the pressure but I don’t like to lose. He’s versatile and has a strong kick. He’s going to be peaking at the right time for next week’s race,” Takter also said as she tries for her second-straight Hambletonian win, having taken the 2023 edition with Tactical Approach.

Christina & Nancy Takter, Black Horse Racing and Crawford Farms Racing owns Karl, now a 14-time winner and an earner of $1,274,816 lifetime. Trained by Nancy Takter, Karl (Tactical Landing-Avalicious, by RC Royalty) was the huge favorite in the first-elim field of 10. He paid $2.80 to win.

Also making the final from the first elimination were Highland Kismet, the crowd’s second choice in the betting who finished fourth, and another longshot in Security Protected, who finished fifth.

A wire-to-wire victory and a lifetime mark appeared business as usual for the rebounding T C I and driver David Miller. The son of Cantab Hall-Nicole’s Promise posted a 1:50.4 win in the second Hambletonian elimination.

T C I motored from post 1 for the lead with a :27.3 first panel while Private Access and Amazing Catch followed into a :56.1 half. Secret Agent Man went first over to the final turn but only moved evenly through three-quarters in 1:24. Not even a strong challenge near the wire by Private Access, the only remaining rival in contention, could faze the Ron Burke trainee. T C I finished a neck better than Private Access with longshot Amazing Catch another six lengths behind in third. Also making the final were Secret Agent Man, finishing fourth, and Mars Hill, finishing fifth.

David Miller confirmed T C I overcame some stomach problems and trainer Burke added some shoe changes to help in the win. “I was planning on getting him out [in front] early,” Miller said, “and we went as easy as I could.”

T C I is now the winner of 14 races from 18 starts and $1,418,507 as he readies to meet Karl in the Hambletonian final. He competes for owners Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables & Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi. He paid $4.80 to win.

The winterbook dream of Karl versus T C I, and eight other trotting glamour boys, happens at The Meadowlands next Saturday (Aug. 3) in the $1-million Hambletonian final. Karl and T C I, having won their eliminations, will draw from posts 1 through 5 for the final.

POST DRAWS TUESDAY: The post-position draws for both the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks will be held at a press conference on Tuesday (July 30) at Hogan Equine in Cream Ridge, NJ.

The $1,050,000 Hambo and $500,000 Oaks take place Saturday, Aug. 3, at The Meadowlands.

The press conference, which is open to anyone who would like to attend, is from 2-5 p.m., with the Hambo and Oaks draws to take place at 3 p.m. Big M TV’s Ken Warkentin and Jessica Otten will serve as the hosts.

Food and refreshments will be served.

For those who can’t make it in person, the event can be seen live on the Meadowlands YouTube channel and Facebook pages. Look for it shortly before 3 p.m.

A LITTLE MORE: M-M’s Dream sat a pocket trip before exploding home to take the $40,000 fifth leg of the Miss Versatility for open mare trotters in 1:51.2 for trainer Ron Burke and driver Yannick Gingras. The 5-year-old daughter of Swan For All-Trading Places returned $3 to win as the 1-2 favorite. … All-source handle on the 14-race card totaled $3,149,366, the 40^th time this year from 59 race cards that betting bettered the $3-million mark. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m., the next-to-last program of the meeting before Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 3), which has a special post time of noon.