Harrah's Hoosier Park: Robert Taylor reaches training milestone

Trainer Robert Taylor celebrated a milestone victory on Thursday (Sept. 11) at Harrah's Hoosier Park, scoring his 1,000th career 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 the fifth position on the first turn while Winning Vibes (John De Long) cut the opening quarter in 28 seconds. Taylor eased Forward Path off the cones just before the half of 57 3/5, surging first-over and to the leader's wheel on the far turn and to three-quarters in 1:27 1/5. Forward Path surged alongside Winning Vibes at the top of the lane, grabbing a short lead in mid-stretch before trotting clear by 1 1/4 lengths on the wire in 1:55 1/5.

Taylor also co-owns the winner as part of his Taylor Racing LLC., along with Kevin and Kassie Lambright.

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Since beginning his training career in 2001, the 42-year-old 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. 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 46 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.

--press release (Harrah's Hoosier Park)--