Locatelli Bay gelding, 3 by Muscle Hill – Girlie Tough by Conway Hall

OWNER: Black Horse Racing [Barry Guariglia], NJ; John D Fielding, ON; Steve Heimbecker, ON BREEDER: Hanover Shoe Farms SALE INFO: $170,000 Horse Sale, Harrisburg PA TRAINER: Nancy Takter DRIVER: Andrew McCarthy

YEAR STARTS 1ST 2ND 3RD EARNINGS MARK 2021 8 2 0 2 $46,026 1:51.1 M 2020 9 1 1 1 $89,837 1:54.4 M LIFETIME 17 3 1 3 $135,863 3, 1:51.1 M

• Drew post five in the final at odds of 15-1.

• Finished fifth in his Hambletonian elimination.

• “He was good,” said trainer Nancy Takter. “[Saturday] was the first time Scott drove him, so I think he drove him to kind of get to know him and make sure he got in the final. He didn’t want to do anything too crazy with him. He’s a very talented horse when he does what he’s supposed to do. Earlier in the summer, he was the fastest one out of everybody. I think he can be right there. I think it’s a very open race and if he minds his manners, I think he can be there.”

• Came into the Hambletonian eliminations off a third place finish in his Reynolds division behind fellow Hambletonian finalist Venerate and a fourth place finish in a Tompkins-Geers behind Ambassador Hanover.

• Locatelli’s second win of the year came against older horses at the Meadowlands on June 25th. He finished second but was placed first when Sonofamistery made a late break in a 1:51.1 clocking.

• Kicked off his sophomore campaign in a Sires Stakes division. He posted a third place finish, followed that up with a NJSS win in a career best of 1:51.1. He got parked out and finished fifth in the final.

• As a freshman, Locatelli finished third in his Bluegrass division at The Red Mile behind fellow Hambletonian finalist Delayed Hanover. He closed out his two-year-old year with a break in his International Stallion Stakes.

• Failed to hit the board in his previous four starts as a two year old, which included a fifth place finish in the Peter Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands, Champlain and William Wellwood elimination and final at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

• After breaking in his first career start in a New Jersey Sire Stakes, he won the next leg of the NJSS in 1:54.4 and finished second in the final.

• Andy McCarthy won the 2020 Hambletonian with filly Ramona Hill, trained by Tony Alagna. It was McCarthy’s second appearance in a Hambletonian final. Ramona Hill became the fourth filly trotter to win the Hambletonian since it moved to the Meadowlands in 1981 and the 15th overall to capture the sport’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters. She received the 2020 Dan Patch Award for best 3-year-old filly trotter.

• A native of Australia, McCarthy has raced regularly in North America since 2007. He has won more than 2,800 races and $55 million in purses during that time.

• McCarthy is a third-generation horseman. His brother Todd, who moved to the U.S. last year, and Luke, who raced in the U.S. in 2009, are successful drivers and his father John is a highly regarded trainer. The McCarthy family was selected by the Bathurst Club as its 2016 Gold Crown honoree.

• Nancy Takter continued something of a family tradition by winning the 2020 with Sorella. Her father Jimmy won the event a record eight times. drove ’s final five Oaks champs, which came consecutively from 2014 to 2018, and also drove Sorella. In addition to winning with Sorella, Takter finished third in the Oaks final with Panem. Later in the day, Takter- trained Ready For Moni was second in the Hambletonian final.

• Takter was the caretaker of 2010 Hambletonian winner Muscle Massive, trained by her father. She made her Hambletonian final debut as a trainer in 2014 with Resolve, who finished fifth.

• Last year, Takter set career highs with 127 wins and $8.07 million in purses. Her earnings were second in North America to perennial category leader Ron Burke. Takter was the unanimous selection for 2020 Trainer of the Year by the chapters of the U.S. Harness Writers Association.

• She is in the top five in purses this season. For her career, Takter has won more than 450 races and $22 million.

• In 2013, Takter started her own training stable. In 2014, she guided 2-year-old female pacer JK She’salady to Horse of the Year honors. JK She’salady is the only 2-year-old filly pacer to be named Horse of the Year. Takter received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association in 2014.

• She has trained two Horse of the Year Award winners. JK She’salady, who earned the honor in both the U.S. and Canada in 2014, and Tall Dark Stranger in 2020.

• Takter was 1 when she moved with her family from Sweden to the U.S. Her father is Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter, a four-time winner of the Hambletonian and record eight-time winner of the Hambletonian Oaks.

• Takter also has a way with pacers. She scored her first win in 2020 with the outstanding Tall Dark Stranger. Her first Pace starter came in 2019 with Captain Crunch and the heavy favorite finished fourth.

• In addition to Locatelli, Takter also qualified Really Fast and Spy Booth for the Hambletonian final.

• If Locatelli wins, Takter would become the third woman trainer to win the Hambletonian in the last ten years [Paula Wellwood (Marion Marauder 2016) Linda Toscano (Market Share 2012)].

• Sire Muscle Hill has sired three Hambletonian winners Ramona Hill (2020), Marion Marauder (2016) and Trixton (2014). The 2009 champion is co-stakes record holder with offspring Ramona Hill – both winning the Hambletonian in 1:50.1.

• Five geldings have won the Hambletonian in 95 years – starting with Greyhound in 1935 and the last being Pinkman in 2015.

• Co-owner John Fielding also captured the 2015 Hambletonian with Pinkman.