Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — No matter how much a horse struggles, it’s usually advisable for owners to listen to their trainers. Especially when their last name is Takter.

After purchasing Caviart Scotland, then named Darlin’s Rembo, at the 2021 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, owners Buck and Judy Chaffee of Caviart Farms were dismayed at how he was coming along — or in this case, not coming along — last season as a 2-year-old.

But trainer Nancy Takter saw something in the horse, as did her dad, Hall of Famer Jimmy Takter, who also worked with the colt at times.

Caviart Scotland’s time of 1:50.3 in the Paul Revere reset the stakes record and also broke the track record for 3-year-old pacing colts. Tom Melanson photo.

Their faith was rewarded at Plainridge Park in Massachusetts on May 4, when Caviart Scotland not only earned his first career win in the second division of the Paul Revere Pace for 3-year-olds but did it in record-setting fashion. His time of 1:50.3 reset the stakes record, which had been established in the first division, and also broke the track record for 3-year-old pacing colts.

And to think, he was close to being jettisoned.

“It was all Jimmy and Nancy, they believed in the horse,” Buck Chaffee said. “We were going, well, they know more than we do with this stuff. We don’t even get to see him very often. They worked with him every day and they had faith and (driver) Josert (Fonseca) believed in him as well. So, with the three of them all saying that, we said, ‘OK we’ll hang in there.’

“Otherwise, we may not have been supportive. We might have cut our losses.”

Evidently, Fonseca was a key to the turnaround. Caviart Scotland struggled in his first three 2023 starts and Takter decided to switch drivers. With Fonseca in the sulky, the horse was second in a Meadowlands overnight before winning the Revere.

“Josert is Nancy’s second trainer,” Chaffee said. “He always believed in the horse. I give him a lot of credit. When he drove him (in the Revere), he drove him like a good horse and sure enough he did well. He left with him, put him on the front end and he had a lot coming home.

“He was not even pushing it at the end. He built up the lead and just sort of coasted (to win by 2-1/4 lengths). Josert has really done a good job with him, and believing in the horse really made a big difference.”

It made a difference in the Chaffees’ mood, too, as they watched with satisfied joy as Caviart Scotland battled to his maiden win.

“That was crazy fun,” Buck said. “We were hoping he would finish in the top three, and we’re watching him go around in the lead and (favorite Goldin Greatness) came out and started moving up and I think he passed Scotland a little bit. We’re going ‘Oh no!’ and then Scotland fought back like mad. We couldn’t believe the time. It was a really good surprise he held on that well.

“But he’s been finishing strong and getting better the last couple of races. I knew he could do it, I just didn’t think that was the race he was going to do it in. That was a super race for us.”

Takter expects Caviart Scotland to compete in an overnight at The Meadowlands before the second leg of the New York Sire Stakes on June 16 at Vernon Downs. Depending on his showing in his upcoming races, Caviart Scotland is eligible for major events such as the Meadowlands Pace, Cane Pace, Little Brown Jug, and Breeders Crown, to name a few.

Two years ago, such thoughts would never seem possible for the son of American Ideal-Darlin’s Delight. The Chaffees were looking for fillies at the Lexington sale and already owned two of them out of Darlin’s Delight, a Dan Patch Award-winner during her racing career, in Caviart Darlin’ and Caviart Audrey.

“We had a mare (Caviart Sydney) that raced against Darlin’s Delight at (ages) 2 and 3, and we loved Darlin’s Delights,” Chaffee said. “We loved the family. So, we had seen her race a lot and we had seen her babies. We really liked the mare a lot.”

When a colt from Darlin’s Delight stepped into the ring, he was a surprise to Buck and Judy, who had not previously looked at him. Their interest was piqued.

“We figured her foals usually sell for 100 (thousand), 200, 300, whatever, and this one’s not going anywhere,” Chaffee said. “We’re looking at him going, yeah, he’s a little small, but he looked like he was put together well. We put a couple of bids in, and we got him (for $47,000). We were shocked, frankly. We were very surprised we got him at that price.

“Linda Toscano came up to Judy and I afterward and said ‘I think that may have been the buy of the sale.’”

It didn’t look that way originally.

“He was very immature at 2 and was a bit colt sore all over,” Takter said. “I made the decision to turn him out for the year and we brought him back in the fall. He showed some ability all along and a bit of speed. His growing pains would just get the best of him.”

And while there was fretting at Caviart Farms, the trainer assured her owners that there was something worth waiting for. And she appreciated their patience.

“I trained two sisters of his — (millionaire) Darlinonthebeach and (Grand Circuit winner) Caviart Audrey — and both were really nice horses,” Takter said. “So, I figured eventually he would realize who his dam and second dam are. I also need to give credit to Judy and Buck. They make my life very easy as a trainer because they are always willing to do what is best for the horse at all times.”

It didn’t hurt that Jimmy Takter felt the horse had a good attitude and strong drive, as he told the Chaffees, “I think he’ll make something.”

But in his first couple of starts the horse “just wasn’t doing a whole lot,” according to Chaffee. The owners became encouraged by his Meadowlands race in which he was second to Goldin Greatness, beaten a neck in 1:52. The momentum carried over into the Revere, and hope has been restored.

“It doesn’t always work that way,” Chaffee said. “It’s generally the other way around. You’re hoping and hoping, and it doesn’t turn out. It’s just very pleasing that it would turn out this way. We were happy we hung in there.

“You have your doubts, especially this year when he first started out with a couple of bad steps and this sort of thing. He seems to be coming around. Hopefully he stays on this track because he’s got a long season with a lot of good races to go for.”

Buck is hoping Plainridge was just the start.

“I don’t think it was a fluke up in Massachusetts,” he said. “Hopefully he continues to go in that direction and continues to improve. We’ll see. He’s got the chance if he’s good enough. We’re hoping.”