Mitch Barker is on the trip of a lifetime, with the Ballarat, Australia horseman now based in the United States and working alongside master trainer Nancy Takter.
The 27-year-old started at the East Windsor, New Jersey barn last week and is loving the experience of learning from one of harness racing’s top conditioners.
“It’s been just an amazing first couple of days… it’s a pretty exciting world really,” Barker told thetrots.com.au. “You drive into the farm and it kind of looks that good it looks like it has been photoshopped. It's hard to believe.
“To work some of the best horses in the world and learn off one of the best trainers in the world is a great opportunity, and I’m going to make the most of it.”
Barker was training with his father Kelvin at the family’s operation near the Ballarat Airport when he stumbled across a Facebook status from reinswoman and well-known media personality Brittany Graham flagging an opportunity in the United States. Things quickly developed, and soon enough Barker had packed his bags and was off overseas.
“When I saw it, I thought that's what I want to do. And after I spoke to Nancy a couple of times on Instagram, I thought 'that's it, I'm going,'” he said.
While things are “just so different” in the U.S., Barker is quickly adapting to the alternative ways of training Standardbreds.
“Some of the gear that they’ve got on I’ve never seen before. It’s all just a massive learning curve,” he said. “Here, every day is different for the horses. They work hard, they get looked after – you’ve never seen horses get looked after like they do here – it’s amazing.
“The grooms take such pride in the horses that they look after and everyone here wants the horses to do good.”
Barker, a winner of 11 races in the sulky and the older brother of trainer/driver Sam, has been carrying out most major stable duties including jogging and fast-working many of the Takter team.
“Some of the horses I've sat behind since I've been here just blow your mind,” he said. “There's a lot of trotters here, two-year-old trotters. They are just so beautifully gaited. Because they are so finely bred, it's just next level.
“You're driving trotters by the best stallions out of good mares, and they feel like trotters that have been trotting for four years. They just know what they're doing, don't make a bad step and are just really cool.”
Takter is the daughter of U.S. harness racing legend Jimmy and has prepared stars such as Tall Dark Stranger and Captain Crunch in recent years.
Barker is in the U.S. on a one-year visa, but isn’t ruling out a longer stay if the opportunity presents.
“It’s that cool here,” he said. “I love it. I honestly love it.”
(Harness Racing Victoria)