Anderson, IN – Trainer Robert Taylor celebrated a milestone victory on Thursday (Sept. 11) at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, scoring his 1,000th career training victory when he also drove Forward Path to victory in the evening’s eighth race.
Making his first start in the Taylor barn, Forward Path was sent away at odds of 5-1 from post four in a field of eight conditioned claiming trotters. Taylor landed Forward Path in fifth position on the first turn while Winning Vibes (John DeLong) cut the opening quarter in :28. Taylor eased Forward Path off the cones just before the half of :57.3, surging first-over and to the leader’s wheel on the far turn at three-quarters in 1:27.1. Forward Path surged alongside Winning Vibes at the top of the lane, grabbing a short lead in mid-stretch before trotting clear by two lengths on the wire in 1:55.1.
Taylor also co-owns the winner as part of his Taylor Racing LLC, along with Kevin and Kassie Lambright.
Since beginning his training career in 2001, the 42-year-old trainer has been a Midwest staple, racing primarily in Illinois in the start of his career before making Indiana his home base in the second half. That said, the Taylor barn has continued to pick up steam of late, posting consecutive career-best years in each of the last two years. Taylor enjoyed his first seven-figure season in 2024 with earnings of $1.1 million while posting what was a career best of 89 seasonal wins. Robert Taylor has already surpassed that number of wins in 2025, having won 92 times already. The Mississippi native currently sits in a tie for sixth in the Hoosier Park trainer standings with 45 wins thus far during the 2025 meet.
Taylor’s prowess with young horses has been on full display in recent years, having trained Midwest sire stakes stars Falcon, Jusmakinyalook, Danger and Agent Of Fortune.
Live racing continues at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Friday (Sept. 12) with a monster 15-race program headlined by the $368,950 Grade 1 Peter Haughton Memorial and $464,400 Grade 1 Jim Doherty Memorial. The Friday undercard features the $84,750 Hoosier Cup for Indiana-sired 3-year-old pacing colts, where Rock Shines Again looks to remain undefeated in his 11th seasonal outing in race seven. Additionally, divisions of Indiana Sire Stakes will be contested for 2-year-old pacers and 3-year-old trotters, which include the co-fastest 2-year-old in Hoosier Park history, Odds On Mr Mamba, in the evening’s third race, and On To Norway in search of his 14th consecutive victory in race five.
The Friday card also features $10,000 guarantees in the Late Pick 4 (races 12-15) and Late Hoosier High 5 (race 15) done in partnership with the USTA’s strategic wagering program.
Free online programs for the Haughton card are available on the Hoosier Park website.
For more information on the 2025 live racing season at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, visit www.harrahshoosierpark.com.