The Magic of Kadabra

"He's my choice for Horse of the Year," Takter said. "He's just a great animal, and is probably one of the five best three-year-old trotters I've ever raced."

The sophomore trotting meister racked up $1,215,496 in earnings this year for owners The Abra Kadabra Stable, which is comprised of a group of long-time horse owners: Peter Heffering, Irv Liverman, Dave McDuffee, Banjo Farms and L&L Devisser Llc. Piloted by David Miller, the son of Primrose Lane-Quillo won 11 races from 14 starts, and took a lifetime record of 1:52.4 while winning the $721,035 Canadian Trotting Classic at Mohawk on September 21.

After an outstanding freshman season racing in Illinois for the Prairie State trainer Homer Hochstetler, Kadabra was sold to Takter's interests for $800,000. At two, Kadabra had scored 12 wins and two seconds in 14 tries, with $450,933 in earnings. He captured the $130,000 American National, the $126,000 Final of the Lincoln Land Trot, and the $35,700 ICF Sarah Meyers Stake to name a few. It was his win at Dover in the Matron Stakes at two, however, that drew Takter to the young hopeful. He trounced his competition soundly, winning in a two-year-old best of 1:56.2 at Dover.

In February of 2002 he was transferred to Takter's stable in New Jersey, and began his three-year-old campaign with a pair of qualifiers in May at the Big M. He got nipped by a nose in a conditioned event in his sophomore debut on June 2, trotting in 1:54.4. He rebounded on June 28, winning a $20,000 three-year-old Open in 1:53.2. He then went on to win the Stanley Dancer elimination in 1:54.2 and the $400,000 Final in 1:54.1 in mid-summer before journeying to Springfield where he took the $86,000 Review Stake in 1:53.4.

He returned to his previous home base of Balmoral Park in Illinois and against American National company took the $180,000 Stake in 1:53.4, before finishing a disappointing fourth in the World Trotting Derby to Andover Hall in 1:51.3. He then won both the elimination and the final of the Canadian Trotting Classic, before winning his Breeders Crown elimination in track record time of 1:53, after being supplemented for $50,000.

In the final, he left no doubt that he was king, dominating his competition in a 1:54.1 performance in the $542,500 Crown at Woodbine, and trotting strongly at the wire. That win gave Takter his sixth Breeders Crown championship, and pushed Kadabra's lifetime earnings to $1,666,429. His record now stands at an impressive 23 wins and four seconds from 28 lifetime trips postward.

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