Jimmy Takter (born September 29, 1960, in Norrköping, Sweden) is a harness racing

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

based in East Windsor,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, who came to the U.S. in 1982. He was inducted into the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2012.

Background

Takter is the son of Swedish trainer Bo William Takter. He was originally a driver, earning his first win at Jagersro racetrack in Malmo, Sweden at age 18. He moved to the United States in 1978 to work for Continental Farms Stable, then returned to Sweden where he married Christina, his childhood sweetheart. The two permanently moved to the United States in December 1982 and have four children, Nancy, Jenny, Tiffany and Jimmy, Jr. Takter became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Christina handles his books and stable business.

Racing career

Takter won his first race in North America as a driver with Baltic Speed in 1983. He earned his first win as a trainer with Witsend's Apollo in 1984, whose 30 wins were critical to Takter's early success. "He was a very important horse," said Takter. "He came along at the right time and he supported our family for a couple of years and he meant a lot to my wife and me. A horse like that gave me the ability to develop as a trainer." By the early 1990s, Takter was considered one of the leading trainers on the Grand Circuit. In 1996 he earned his first Trainer of the Year Award thanks to 2-year-old trotting champions Armbro Prowess and Malabar Man. In 1997, Malabar Man went on to win the Hambletonian, All-American and Breeders Crown and was named the

Harness Horse of the Year The Harness Horse of the Year is an honor recognizing the top harness racing horse in the United States. The award is selected by the United States Trotting Association and the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA), which issues the an ...

. From 1997 through 2000, Takter raced Moni Maker at tracks around the United States and abroad, winning such races as the Breeders' Crown, Elitloppet and Prix d'Amerique. Moni Maker was a three-time trotter of the year and retired as the highest earning Standardbred of all-time. As of December 2016, horses trained by Takter had accumulated $120 million in earnings and more than 1,700 wins. He owns a 100-acre training facility in New Jersey that contains a -mile track, a -mile straight track, and a 2-mile jogging track. In October 2015, Takter had a career highlight, earning $2,691,439 in the 2015 Breeders Crown Finals. During his career, Takter has won the Dan Patch Trainer of the Year Award six times, the most of any trainer. In 2019, he was inducted into the

Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame was established in 1976 to honour those who have made a significant contribution to the sport of harness and Thoroughbred horse racing in Canada. It is located at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario. The ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takter, Jimmy 1960 births Living people American horse trainers Dan Patch Award winners United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame inductees Harness racing in the United States People from East Windsor, New Jersey Swedish emigrants to the United States Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductees