Takter talks P Glide

Passionate Glide, the 2-5 favorite in the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot Saturday at Woodbine, has some mighty big horseshoes to fill. And as long as trainer Jimmy Takter continues to send out world champion trotters, the comparison will always be made to arguably the greatest female trotter of the 21st century.

Moni Maker, a two-time Horse of the Year and three-time Trotter of the Year, retired from harness racing in 2000 as the sport’s all-time leading money-winner and remains today the richest female Standardbred ever with $5,589,256 in the bank. She is the standard against which all current trotters will be judged. It has been 10 years since Moni Maker was a 3 year old, and it’s taken that long for any filly trotter to be placed in a serious comparison with the icon.

Though the true test of a champion is the entire span of a career, and Moni Maker’s was unusual in that she raced until she was 7 years old, the comparison between former Takter pupil Moni Maker and current queen of the stable Passionate Glide – who has won 13 of 14 races this season – is an interesting evaluation.

And no one better to make it than Takter himself.

“I believe that Passionate Glide is the first since Moni Maker who could be compared with her,” Takter said. “And truthfully, at the same stage of her career, Passionate Glide is obviously more dominating than Moni Maker was at three.”

In 1996, Moni Maker turned in a solid sophomore season for trainer William Andrews and recently elected Hall of Fame driver Wally Hennessey. She won 18 straight races before a head loss to Personal Banner in the Breeders Crown. Following that race she was transferred solely to new owners and moved to the Takter Stable.

“It’s really not fair for me to try and compare them,” Hennessey said. “I’ve only seen Passionate Glide a couple of times and she has been impressive. But all I can say if they are comparing her to what, in my mind, is the greatest mare of all time, this filly must be pretty impressive.”

The sophomore homebred daughter of Yankee Glide, out of the Joie De Vie mare Miss Marita, is owned by the Brittany Farms.

Though she had her undefeated season go down in flames in the second heat of the Kentucky Futurity Filly at Lexington, Oct. 6, Passionate Glide rebounded in the raceoff against Queen Serene in decisive fashion.

In her elimination at Woodbine on Saturday night, Passionate Glide romped to victory in 1:54.3 to run her record to 13 wins and the lone second in 14 starts and a bankroll of more than $1 million.

“She’s a much stronger filly than Moni Maker was at this stage of her career,” Takter said. “And right now she is as sound if not sounder than she was at the start of the year. There is no doubt in my mind that she has the ability to compete for several years like Moni Maker did.”

Takter said that Passionate Glide is not eligible for the Matron Stake but is to the American-National at Balmoral.

“This will probably be her last start of the year,” Takter said. “Going to Chicago in November is probably not in her best interest.” (From BC)

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