Always B Miki sprints off in career curtain call
November 12, 2016,by James Witherite, Meadowlands media relations
East Rutherford, NJ — Always B Miki ($2.10) will always be remembered as a champion.
The fastest pacer in the history of harness racing capped his career in triumphant fashion, using a sustained first-over bid to overpower All Bets Off and sprint off to a 1:48.2 victory in the $400,000 TVG Free For All Pace on Saturday evening (Nov. 12) evening at The Meadowlands.
Lisa Photo
Always B Miki caps an illustrious career with a resounding win in the $400,000 TVG Free For All Pace on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
David Miller moved Always B Miki first-over out of midfield after patiently stalking sizzling fractions of :25.4 and :54.1, making gradual gains into pacesetter All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley) through the far turn. The 5-year-old Always a Virgin stallion pushed to the fore in upper stretch, leaving All Bets Off well in his wake and evading eventual runner-up Mach It So (Tim Tetrick) by 4-1/4 lengths. Melmerby Beach (Marcus Miller) benefitted from the outer flow and saved third with a mild stand-side push over the tiring All Bets Off.
Miller and trainer Jimmy Takter had nothing but glowing reports of Always B Miki’s curtain call.
“When I asked him, he took right off,” said Miller. “Jimmy (Takter) has done a great job keeping him good all year, and I tell you what, he’s good today as he’s been all year. He’s an incredible horse; he’s a true champion.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling standing here at our home track,” said Takter. “He’s just a wonderful horse to be around. He’s so personable, anybody working with this horse just would love him.”
“It’s nice to quit on the top, too,” he concluded. “This horse has a future ahead of him, and it’s going to be very, very exciting to train his offspring.”
Always B Miki wraps up his racing career with 30 wins in 53 starts—12 of those wins coming this year—as well as $2,719,368 in earnings for the Bluewood Stable, the Roll the Dice Stable, and Christina Takter.
Total handle for the 12-race card was $2,695,344.
Live racing returns to The Meadowlands on Friday evening (Nov. 18), with the last-race Jackpot High-5 carryover mounting to $27,303.63. First post is slated for 7:15 p.m.
- Bar Hopping to tackle older foes in TVG championship (Friday, November 11, 2016)
For the second consecutive year, trainer Jimmy Takter will send a 3-year-old colt to challenge older rivals in the TVG Free For All Series championship for trotters at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Last season, it was The Bank. This time, it is Bar Hopping, who on Saturday will try to become the first 3-year-old male trotter in recent history to win against older foes in a series final worth at least $100,000.
- Hurley has ‘mixed emotions’ as Always B Miki’s racing career comes to an end (Friday, November 11, 2016)
Joe Hurley’s run with Always B Miki is coming to an end. On Saturday night, Hurley, who at trackside ran down the final portion of the stretch at Lexington as Always B Miki made history with his 1:46 all-time record mile a month ago, will watch the 5-year-old pacing stallion he bred and co-owns compete for the final time in his career.
- TVG finals on center stage at Big M (Friday, November 11, 2016)
While Always B Miki’s curtain call in the $400,000 TVG Free For All Pace is rightfully bound to garner great attention on Saturday (Nov. 12) evening’s 12-race card at The Meadowlands, the showdown between Hannelore Hanover and Bee A Magician in the $200,000 TVG Mares Trot just two races earlier has all the makings of a race for the ages.
- Hannelore Hanover, Lady Shadow prevail in TVG female contests (Saturday, November 12, 2016)
In the $200,000 TVG for trotting mares (race four), Hannelore Hanover ($3.60) rallied from off the pace to once again defeat Bee a Magician, vaulting home and reeling in the quadruple millionaire for a 1:51.4 score. Lady Shadow ($2.40) used nearly identical tactics as Always B Miki en route to her 1:50 win in the $200,000 TVG for pacing mares.
- Obrigado outlasts barrage of pressure, upsets TVG trot (Saturday, November 12, 2016)
Obrigado ($19.80), one of two of the eight in the $400,000 TVG Free-For-All Trot (race 10) to have not contested a Breeders Crown event two weeks ago, sought control of the terms early and dug in to parry a barrage of pressure in a compelling race which saw the entire octet covered by two lengths at the winning post.