Karl Broberg is making a push to pull a rare double before the calendar year closes. He has a strong chance to rank as North America’s leading owner and leading trainer in wins in 2016. Broberg is already poised to take down his third North American training title with a 53-win advantage in the standings heading into Wednesday. The challenge will be for leading owner. Broberg, who is the majority owner of the stable End Zone Athletics, was tied with Michelle Helms atop the standings with 132 wins, according to Equibase. “Once I realized we were in the mix, I pushed a lot so we could possibly get there,” said Broberg, a 45-year-old resident of Arlington, Texas. Broberg has divisions of his stable on five winter fronts: Delta Downs, Fair Grounds, Oaklawn, Sam Houston, and Sunland. He also said he is exploring sending horses to Mahoning Valley, Tampa Bay Downs, or Turfway. “I’m weighing options at this point,” he said. Broberg’s motivation for expansion, and to turn over titles, has much to do with keeping the 40 folks he has working full-time in his stable gainfully employed. The sentiment also extends to the countless freelancers, such as exercise riders, that are part of the operation. “I own horses out of necessity, not by choice, just because I want to make sure I got work for all my guys,” Broberg said. “It’s the only reason I’ve accrued as many horses as I have, so I can keep everyone employed.” Broberg’s surge to the top of the North American charts has been realized with fewer horses than he had in 2015. He has won 348 races as a trainer this year through Tuesday, compared with 420 wins for all of 2015. “I’m down almost 40 head from last year at this time,” he said. Broberg said he will soon be promoting his stable to potential new clients, calling on his professional background in marketing. “I’m about to push an advertising campaign the last month of the year,” he said. “I feel compelled to try something as the foal crop is shrinking and you can see the claiming game dying right in front of our eyes.” Broberg is a Chicago native who was involved in racing as an owner and a groom before winning his first race as a trainer on Nov. 7, 2009. He reached a considerable training milestone last Saturday night, when he notched his 2,000th win courtesy of Mr. Graceful ($26.80) in the ninth at Delta Downs. The score was one of three wins on the day for Broberg, who a half-hour earlier sent out Singing Aces ($14.40) to capture a maiden special weight on the closing-night card at Retama Park near San Antonio, where he tied for leading trainer with Danny Pish. Broberg’s rise has come in a span of about seven years. He was just 39 when he won his first race as a trainer. He has grown from a Texas operation to a perennial leading trainer at Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs, both in Louisiana. Last year he branched out to Prairie Meadows and this year moved a division into Canterbury for the first time, following up that move this fall with his first-ever division at Churchill Downs. His list of stakes winners is topped by Heitai and Diva’s Diamond. “From childhood I was always fascinated with figuring out how I could make a living in horse racing,” said Broberg, whose father brought him to Arlington. “I wanted to do it as a gambler. I tried it as a groom for a while, and I dreamed of being a racetrack announcer. It’s a really hard sport for someone on the outside with no ins whatsoever to find a way to completely immerse themselves.” Broberg has more than found his way in racing, and could even make a substantial mark in the record books come Dec. 31.