by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Pinkman returns to action for the first time in nearly 10 months on Friday, facing five foes in the preferred handicap at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The 5-year-old gelding, whose last visit to the winner’s circle at the Big M followed his victory in the 2015 Hambletonian, was absent because of surgery to correct chronic throat issues.

“I’m excited to have him back,” trainer Jimmy Takter said. “He’s probably the most low-profile top horse I’ve ever had. I think if he gets back to what he’s supposed to be, everyone knows he’s a heck of a tough horse. He’s got it.

“It’s great to have him racing again.”

Pinkman, a son of Explosive Matter-Margie Seelster, received divisional Dan Patch awards at ages 2 and 3 and also was 2015 Trotter of the Year. He won 17 of 25 races and earned $2.45 million during his first two seasons, highlighted by his 3-year-old campaign in 2015 that produced victories in the Hambletonian, Canadian Trotting Classic, Kentucky Futurity, and Beal and Zweig memorials.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

2015 Hambletonian champion Pinkman will make his season’s debut Friday at the Meadowlands.

Last year Pinkman won a Group 2 race for 4-year-olds in Sweden, but was winless in six U.S. starts. He last raced in early October.

“He basically missed all his 4-year-old season,” Takter said. “It is what it is. But his throat looks better now. Knock on wood, so far it seems like everything is working. We took our time with him. There’s no rush. I want to be careful. No matter where you go, these races are hard.”

Pinkman is 5-1 on the morning line for Friday’s race at the Meadowlands. Tuonoblu Rex, who has won four of six races in the U.S. since arriving from Europe, is the 2-1 favorite. Flanagan Memory, the 2016 Breeders Crown Open Trot winner, is the 5-2 second choice. Completing the field are Dayson, Muscle Diamond, and Lookslikeachpndale.

“He’s a big track horse so we’re going to try to find the right races for him,” said Takter, who trains Pinkman for owners Christina Takter, John and Jim Fielding, Joyce McClelland, and Herb Liverman. “If he is good enough by October, he could go to the Breeders Crown. That’s the goal, but that’s a long way down the road. We’ll see how he does Friday.”