Meadowlands: Takter seeks more Hambo Day hardware in $500K Oaks final

Trainer Nancy Takter has enjoyed incredible success on Hambletonian Days, notably going back-to-back in 2023-24 with Tactical Approach and Karl capturing the sport's biggest prize. On Saturday, without a horse in this year's Hambletonian, Takter will send out a pair in the $500,000 Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks for sophomore fillies at the Meadowlands.

Neither Leading Lady or Madam Cheval was victorious in last week's three elimination races and thus had to face an open draw this past Tuesday (August 4). Leading Lady came away with a decent spot while Madam Cheval wasn't as fortunate, landing post 10 in the field that goes as race nine of 16 on the Hambletonian Day afternoon program.

"It's not that bad," said Takter when asked about the luck of the draw. "I think seven is a good spot for Leading Lady.

"I've won the Hambo from post 10," added Takter, pointing to Tactical Approach in 2023. "And I won the Oaks from post seven."

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Sorella went wire-to-wire for Takter in the 2020 edition of the Hambletonian Oaks from the seven-hole.

Perhaps the draw was lucky for Takter in that the Oaks has been won from post 10 twice in the last five years and driver Tim Tetrick has been aboard on both occasions, winning first in 2021 with Fashion Schooner from the far outside position on the starting gate and then again in 2023 with longshot Heaven Hanover sweeping the field in the stretch.

Whether history will be on Takter's side on Saturday remains to be seen, but placing two in the final is a good first step.

"I thought Leading Lady's performance in the elimination was incredible," said Takter in reviewing the Walner-sired filly's extreme rally following an early miscue.

Driver Matt Kakaley was able to get the filly back on-stride heading into the first quarter and reach the pack before they turned into the backstretch.

"She came a last quarter in 25 2/5, and some of my pacing horses can't go that fast," said Takter in reverence to the second-place finish.

Leading Lady raced without shoes in her Oaks elimination and will again go into the final barefooted. "We also raced her without shoes in the Zweig and she shot out of the gate quickly there," said Takter, confirming that the lack of shoes likely had nothing to do with her misstep in the trials.

A winner just one time in eight starts this year, Leading Lady has been good but not great.

"I think in a lot of the races the trips just didn't work out for her," said Takter. "In a lot of the races this year there has been absolutely no early pace."

Takter is hoping that the large and competitive field will be more assertive in the final than in any of the three eliminations last week and give her fillies an opportunity in the stretch.

Madam Cheval looked to be in good position to win her elimination last week but didn't fire as expected when Tetrick pulled her to challenge pace-setter Lainey W in the homestretch. Tetrick's move to the outside left room along the inside for Carve and Andrew McCarthy to post the mild upset.

"We're going to go with a pull-down bridle for her in the final," said Takter, noting the equipment change that will hopefully have the Walner-sired filly more engaged in the homestretch.

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Madam Cheval is a daughter of the Jimmy Takter-trained Shake It Cerry, a $2.7 million winner during her lengthy career. As a sophomore, Shake It Cerry finished fourth in her Hambletonian Oaks. Since becoming a broodmare, Madam Cheval will be Shake It Cerry's second daughter to reach the Oaks final, with half-sister Mon Cheval a 2022 finalist.

Trainer Marcus Melander will be looking for his second Oaks trophy and sends out a trio of fillies, with elimination winner Setyoursightshigh landing post four while a pair of runner-ups, Nezuko Kamado S (post two) and Lainey W (post five), drew well.

"She got a little lonely late, but I never pulled the plugs," said driver Dexter Dunn describing the victory of Setyoursightshigh by a neck in 1:53 1/5, the slowest of the three elimination divisions.

Nezuko Kamado S trotted to a 1:50 1/5 season's-best clocking in the Del Miller but was conservatively handled by Scott Zeron in her Oaks trial on August 1.

"When two horses made breaks the first two steps out of there, it changed the whole dynamic for me," said Zeron, explaining why he backed off in the early stages and played the waiting game while a moderate 57-second first half was being dictated.

Zeron's decision left Nezuko Kamado S with a ton of ground to make up in the stretch, and despite an individual 26 second-flat final quarter, she arrived a neck behind Busy Miss Lissy S, the Ake Svanstedt-driven filly that converted on a pocket trip.

"I don't think anyone saw that coming from Busy Miss Lissy," said Zeron following last week's elimination.

Svanstedt wasn't as surprised as Zeron following Busy Miss Lissy's victory in a career-best 1:51 4/5 clocking. "She was good last time also but just too far back," said Svanstedt of the fourth-place finish in the Zweig at Vernon on July 19. "She's trained good and has been getting better and better in every race."

The combination of top driver Jason Bartlett, along with the sport's second-leading trainer Per Engblom, automatically makes Custom (post three) a contender. A daughter of Walner, Custom has won half of her six starts as a sophomore, including a Reynolds division at the Meadowlands on July 4 in a career-best 1:52 1/5 clocking. Custom hung in bravely finishing third in her elimination.

Carve, the fastest elimination winner by virtue of her 1:51 1/5 mile with Andrew McCarthy skimming the pylons late, drew post six, but that's not likely to be a major obstacle for the daughter of Captain Corey since she is blessed with plenty of early speed. Noel Daley trains Carve.

Storybook Love, the 2025 Breeders Crown champion as a freshman, was the richest fourth-place finisher and thus earned a ticket to the final. The Matthew Bax-trained filly landed post eight with Todd Ratchford getting his first Oaks drive. Storybook Love earned nearly $500K as a freshman, but heading into Saturday's contest has yet to win in eight starts as a 3-year-old.

Frattina Diablo S is one of three Swedish-breds in the final. The Tony Alagna-trained daughter of Captain Corey has finished on the board in all seven of her starts this year, including a pair of Pennsylvania Sire Stakes victories and a solid second behind the speedy Jailbird Jog in the Tompkins-Geers stake at the Meadowlands on July 25.

The Hambletonian Oaks is scheduled to commence at 3:36 P.M. (EDT), while the stakes-filled Meadowlands program starts at noon on Saturday.