Meadowlands: Always B Miki caps his career in fantastic fashion

Always B Miki ended his racing career with a dominating and decisive victory in the $400,000 TVG FFA final for pacers on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. The likely Horse of the Year for 2016 won in 1:48 2/5, pulling away through the lane with every stride.

All Bets Off (Matt Kakaley), who will also be heading off to stallion duties, led the way through fractions of 25 4/5, 54 1/5, and 1:21 3/5, but Always B Miki (David Miller) was first-over and side-by-side with him at the three-quarter mile marker.

Miller asked Always B Miki for his best at the top of the lane, and the response was instantaneous, as Always B Miki put way All Bets Off and then poured it on, leaving Miller nothing to do but celebrate the victory in the final sixteenth. Mach It So (Tim Tetrick) was second, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, and Melmerby Beach (Marcus Miller) came in third. All Bets Off, who completed his career with 21 wins and over $2.1 million in earnings, wound up fourth and Dealt A Winner (Andy Miller) checked in fifth.

"He was going along pretty easy, and then when I asked him he took right off," said David Miller. "(Trainer Jimmy Takter) has done a great job keeping him good all year, and I tell you what, he's just as good today as he has been all year. He's an incredible horse and a true champion."

Always B Miki, a 5-year-old Always A Virgin stallion, is trained by Takter for co-owner/breeder Roll The Dice Stable and co-owners Bluewood Stable and Christina Takter. He heads into his next career at Diamond Creek Farm with 30 victories from 52 lifetime tries and $2,719,368 in the bank and paid $2.10 to win as the 1-9 favorite.

"It's a wonderful feeling standing here at our home track and racing his last start here," said Takter, who added that Always B Miki should be chosen as Horse of the Year. "He's just a wonderful horse to be around. Anybody working with this horse would just love him. It's nice to quit on the top. This horse has a future ahead of him. I'm going to be very, very excited to train his offspring, and it might keep me in the business a little longer than I wanted to."