“Hopefully, that injury won’t be a factor this year. If you have a bone fracture, this is one that heals very well; you put a couple screws in and the horse is basically sound right after”
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American Jewel is ready to shine again. The filly pacer, injured in her only loss last season as a two-year-old, is on the comeback trail for trainer Jimmy Takter and doing well.
Last season's Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year won eight of nine races and $669,291 for owner Brittany Farms. Her victories included the $633,000 Shes A Great Lady Stakes (in a world record 1:50.2), the $281,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes (in a track record 1:52.3 at Indiana Downs) and divisions of the Bluegrass and Eternal Camnation stakes.
American Jewel suffered a fractured sesamoid bone in her loss by a head to Big McDeal in the International Stallion Stakes on Oct. 7 at Lexington’s Red Mile. Big McDeal won in 1:50.2, equalling American Jewel’s world record for a two-year-old filly pacer.
“She came back super,” said Takter. “She filled out and is just a powerhouse. She can’t look much better than she does."
American Jewel, a daughter of American Ideal, was the first foal out of the mare Trim Hanover and her full sister, Source Of Pride, sold for $280,000 at October’s Lexington Selected Sale. Trim Hanover is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Took Hanover and the family also includes 1993 Little Brown Jug winner Life Sign as well as two-time U.S. divisional champion filly Three Diamonds.
Takter’s potential power in the three-year-old divisions does not begin and end with American Jewel. Among the male pacers, Takter is pleased with North America Cup eligibles Simply Business (7-1 in Trot Magazine's Spring Book) and Time To Roll (44-1). On the trotting side, colts Uncle Peter and Weingartner have made good impressions as they return from stakes winning campaigns.
Simply Business (Rocknroll Hanover-Cathedra Dot Com) won four of eight races and $672,462 last season for owners Brixton Medical AB, Order By Stable, Louie Camara and the partnership of Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband. His biggest triumph came in the $1 million Metro Pace.
Purchased as a yearling for $350,000, Simply Business hails from a successful family. His dam, Cathedra Dot Com, won the 2001 Fan Hanover Stakes and was second to Bunny Lake in the Breeders Crown while her siblings Western Shooter and Cabrini Hanover both captured divisional honours during their careers. Simply Business’ second dam, Cathedra, was a standout in Ontario and was named Broodmare of the Year in 2004.
Time To Roll (Rocknroll Hanover-Kikikatie) won one of three races last year and was third to I Fought Dalaw and Pet Rock in the New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship. He is owned by breeder Susan Grange’s Lothlorien stable and is a full brother to multiple-stakes winner Rockin Image. His dam, Kikikatie, was the two-year-old U.S. filly division champ in 2003.
“I’m very happy with Simply Business and Time To Roll,” Takter said. “Time To Roll is a horse I raced a couple starts as a two-year-old and he won in [1]:51.2. Both of them are coming back super. I have high hopes for both of them.”
On the trotting side, Uncle Peter (Cantab Hall-Victory Treasure) won four of six races and $347,955 for owners Christina Takter, Falkbolagen AB, John Fielding and Jim Fielding. He ended his season by winning the $600,000 Breeders Crown by two and a quarter lengths over Possess The Will in 1:55.
Weingartner (Donato Hanover-Inspired Society) won three of nine starts, including the $400,000 Peter Haughton Memorial, and earned $289,189 for owners Christina Takter, John Fielding, Brixton Medical AB and Louie Camara. He is a half-brother to 2010 Breeders Crown two-year-old filly champ Martiniontherocks.
“They are the two that stand out maybe a little bit more right now,” Takter said. “Uncle Peter has always been my favourite, but Weingartner is really coming back good. He’s much stronger. He’s such a big horse and he got a really good foundation this winter. I think he’s going to be a big player.
"[Uncle Peter] has been really good all winter. He’s really special. He’s a top horse.”
(With files from HRC)