Driver Scott Zeron and Tactical Approach make up ground to win Hambletonian

Nancy Takter loved her colt Tactical Approach since the first time she saw him. Two years later, the horse gave Takter the biggest win of her harness racing career.

Tactical Approach won Saturday’s $1 million Hambletonian by one length in 1:50.3 at The Meadowlands. Oh Well took second place, followed by Up Your Deo in third.

The 12-1 price on the tote board was a sign of diminished expectations among the bettors, but Tactical Approach gave Takter her first win in the Hambletonian, the sport’s premier race for 3-year-old trotters. It was the third victory in “America’s Classic Trotting Race” for driver Scott Zeron.

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Takter became the third female trainer to win the Hambletonian, following Linda Toscano in 2012 and Paula Wellwood in 2016.

“I loved this colt from the first moment that I saw him as a baby,” said Takter, whose father, Jimmy, won the Hambletonian four times in his Hall of Fame career. “I told my dad that I found the horse I was going to buy. I just loved him all along.”

Takter purchased Tactical Approach for $85,000 at a yearling auction in 2021. He raced five times in 2022, winning twice.

“He was very immature last year, but we just gave him the time that he needed, and he came back this year so strong,” Takter said. “I’m proud of everybody, the entire team, and I’m definitely proud of the colt. He gets all the credit.”

Tactical Approach drew post 10 in the field of 10, the least advantageous starting post, but Zeron quickly maneuvered the horse to sixth, where he remained with a quarter-mile to go in the one-mile race. He found room down the stretch and sprinted past Up Your Deo and Oh Well to take the victory.

“I was confident coming down the stretch that if he had enough room, he was going to get it done. It worked out great,” said Takter.

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The outside draw took all the pressure off of Zeron, he said. Tactical Approach became the first horse to win the Hambletonian from post 10 in the 43 years the race has been held at The Meadowlands.

“It was unexpected, just based on the post, not the horse,” said Zeron.

Zeron was absent from last year’s Hambletonian due to injuries he suffered a few days prior to the Hambletonian eliminations.

Tactical Approach is a son of sire Tactical Landing and is owned by Robert Leblanc, John Fielding, Joe Sbrocco, and JAF Racing. Tactical Approach has won six of 14 races in his career and earned $617,989.

“He was just super today,” Takter said. “The horse was great, Scott was great, everything just worked out.”

Earlier in the day, Heaven Hanover won the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Marcus Melander.

Naaima Abd-Elhameed is a student at Rutgers University and wrote this story for the Globe as part of the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop.