“There’s always a dominant one -- he kicks everybody around. That’s the one I want...They have to have an attitude. When they have an attitude, they’re usually in the top echelon.”
Owner Ken Jacobs has experienced his share of success in harness racing but this year he has his sights set on the most coveted prize in the sport. Fortunately for him, he also has the horse many feel has the best chance to win the 2017 Hambletonian -- Walner.
Bred by Ontario's Overseas Farms, Walner (Chapter Seven - Random Destiny) won seven of eight races and finished the season with a five-race victory streak that included triumphs in the Breeders Crown for two-year-old male trotters, Kindergarten Classic Series championship, and a division of the International Stallion Stakes in a world record 1:51.3.
Linda Toscano trained Walner for owner Jacobs, with Tim Tetrick handling the driving. A $90,000 yearling purchase, Jacobs told Eagle News Online that his ability to consistently find champions like Walner comes from years of knowledge and hours of research.
"I do a lot of research, a lot of homework,” Jacobs said. “[Farms] send me the videos on all the horses. They know I’m an astute owner.”
Jacobs also relies on the long partnership he has with trainer Linda Toscano, who won the Hambletonian with Market Share in 2012 and also trained the sire of Walner, 2012 U.S. Horse of the Year Chapter Seven.
“She is the best female trainer in the world, the way she brings the horses to the races.”
Toscano currently has Walner in training at Pinehurst Training Center in North Carolina at the same location as 2016 Hambletonian champ, Marion Marauder.