Qualifying World Record Equalled

It was no secret that Always B Miki would be qualifying today (Friday, September 25) at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. Now everyone will know exactly what the Always A Virgin horse did over the famed clay course. Here’s a three-word hint: world record speed.

A compact seven-dash card comprised the qualifying session. When it comes to Always B Miki’s mile, if you blinked you may have missed it.

Trainer Jimmy Takter was in the race bike for Always B Miki’s mile. The duo started in Post 5 and made every pole a winning one. The margin of victory was 10 and a half lengths. The win time was a scintillating 1:48.2.

The time of the mile equalled the fastest qualifying mile in the history of harness racing, which was recorded by Shark Gesture over the Meadowlands Racetrack in June of 2010.

Always B Miki, a career winner of 14 of 31 races and $930,091 in purses, paced past the opening quarter in :28.1, blazed the half-mile marker in :54.3 and blitzed the three-quarters of a mile station in 1:21.3. The four-year-old horse capped off the mile with a :26.4 final panel.

Former trainer Joe Holloway had been forced to scratch the favoured Always B Miki out the Breeders Crown finals last fall after a stall injury ultimately led to surgery for a left hind pastern fracture.

Always B Miki was later moved to Takter’s stable. Unfortunately, trouble had reared its ugly head once again in May, as the bay fractured a right hind pastern in May while coming back for Takter.

Takter debuted Always B Miki in qualifying action on September 17 at Pocono Downs. The horse was sharp over the five-eighths-mile oval and paced a gate-to-wire mile in 1:50.1. The margin of victory was more than 15 lengths.

Always B Miki was bred by Roll The Dice Stable (of Wilmington, Delaware), who co-owns the bay along with the Bluewood Stable (Hopewell, NJ) and Christina Takter (East Windsor, NJ).

Takter was front and centre during the Red Mile’s seven-dash Friday session. He drove six of his pupils to victories – the other horse to win was the Tony Alagna-trained and Scott Zeron-driven Dreams Beachboy (1:50.3).

Takter’s wins came with two-year-old Explosive Matter colt Love Matters (1:56.2) in Race 1, two-year-old Donato Hanover colt Reigning Monti (1:56.4) in Race 2, double-millionaire Donato Hanover mare Shake It Cerry (1:53.3) in Race 3, Always B Miki (1:48.2) in Race 4, the $300,000 yearling purchase Canepa Hanover (1:53.4) in Race 5, and with two-year-old Muscle Hill colt Bar Hopping (1:57) in Race 7.