Where is Karl and why is Nancy getting Highland Kismet?

[Chips N Salsa]

🐴 If Karl Is the Next Super Horse, Why Is Nancy Takter Suddenly Training Highland Kismet?

You know the narrative by now: *Karl is the second coming of Muscle Hill*, a “can’t-miss” juggernaut hand-fed to the industry by the **Takter PR machine**. Between the press releases, Twitter worship, and whisper campaigns, you’d think Karl already had Horse of the Year locked up — **before he’s even stepped foot onto the track as a 4YO**.

But now let’s ask the question everyone’s pretending not to see:

> **If Karl is the sure thing, why is Nancy Takter now training Highland Kismet — another top-shelf colt?**

Let’s stop pretending this is business as usual. This move **reeks of insurance policy energy** — a hedge. Why suddenly throw your weight behind another pacing prospect when the horse you supposedly built your season around is “the one”?

Answer: Because **Karl is not sound.**

🚨 Rumors of Lameness and Quiet Vet Work

Industry insiders — the ones who aren’t reading off the Meadowlands marketing script — have been **raising eyebrows for weeks**. Karl’s training reports have been **sporadic at best**, with whispers of unsoundness and undisclosed vet work. Nothing official, of course. You’ll never hear it from the mainstream because it doesn’t fit the narrative.

But let’s call it what it is: **Karl is behind schedule, and Highland Kismet is Plan B**.

Nancy wouldn’t just take on another elite Trotting colt for fun. There’s only one Hambletonian Maturity. Only one Breeders Crown. You don’t spread focus unless you’re already **bracing for disappointment.**


🎭 The Takter Propaganda Machine

Takter-trained horses could finish 7th and you’d still see a press release calling it a “gutsy effort.” That’s not analysis — that’s PR. The entire media pipeline bends over backward to polish the brand.

It’s no accident that Karl is being treated like the LeBron James of trotting colts, while **there's a total blackout on questions about his condition**.

And now Highland Kismet walks into the barn, quiet as a mouse. No fanfare, no press conference. Just a top-tier colt joining the Takter stable under the radar.

If this were any other trainer, the media would be all over it. But when it’s Nancy? Crickets. Why? Because if Highland Kismet is Plan A now, the whole Karl fairy tale unravels.


🧩 Something Doesn’t Add Up

Let’s connect the dots:

* Karl hasn’t qualified.
* Karl hasn’t been seen training publicly.
* Highland Kismet lands in the barn out of nowhere.
* Media silence.

The answer isn’t complicated. The Takter team is laying the groundwork to quietly pivot if — or **when** — Karl doesn’t make the gate. And they’ll rewrite the story as if Highland Kismet was the golden child all along.

But those of us paying attention see it differently:
**Highland Kismet is a parachute. Because Karl might not be airborne at all.**


👀 Keep Your Eyes on the Entry Box

The next few weeks will be telling. If Karl doesn’t qualify soon, expect excuses. “He’s being brought along slowly.” “We’re being cautious.”
But don’t be surprised if Highland Kismet starts popping up in all the big dances instead. The narrative will shift. The spotlight will move. And the same machine that told you Karl was the future will tell you Kismet was “the real one” all along.

Don’t buy it.

Because the truth is, **if Karl was what they say he is, there’d be no need for Kismet at all.**

[Harness racer]

Harness racing is known for its extensive media coverage.      

[rainman2]

Horseplop has KARL’S biggest follower—-MIKE CAMPBELL at your disposal.

Maybe he has some insight on this!!

[Scooteroo]

Some of the geniuses on here were calling for a trainer change on Highland Kismet at the end of last year. Last I heard about Karl, he was shooting for July for his first start.

[Harness racer]

Nancy is very good with trotters...and she doesn't own the horse.  You are acting like she bought it as a backup.  If an owner offers a horse of that caliber, you don't turn it down.  A little in barn competition is good for horses.  Look at Ake's barn.  It could be better than any Open Trot on any given training day.

[Scooteroo]

Most of the big races for 4-year-olds and older trotters are in the US, so why not go with a trainer down here instead of always having to ship the horse.

[Harness racer]

Exactly, and Karl's schedule will be much more limited.  Why not take on a horse that will be at almost every big race?

[The Answer]

Queen Nancy also got Gruesome Twosome which might be the best of the 4 year olds this year. Qualified very well this morning.

[London]

Drivers in canada can't seem to keep him flat,taker better trotting man than etsell...

[Parked]

You mean Yimmy ?

[Papillon]

Karl is the next super horse

even if he doesn't race as a 4yo

just ask Mike Campbell

maybe they are saving him for the winners over at Dover in November

if Yimmy cant fix him--he cant be fixed

[Laag]

Karl wont be ready in time for Hambo Day so likely not even racing until September...why even bother..this is a joke. Just retire the horse and say he has physical problems.

Kismet probably should have gone to Ake

[Scooteroo]

Problem with going to Ake, he already has a stable full of top trotters, and there are only so many races for the top trotters, so finding races for all of them is impossible, so he ends up having 2 or 3 in the same race.

[rainman2]

Karl is the next super horse

even if he doesn't race as a 4yo

just ask Mike Campbell

maybe they are saving him for the winners over at Dover in November

if Yimmy cant fix him--he cant be fixed

How come MIKE CAMPBELL hasn’t posted on this blog?

Since he’s the expert and #1 fan, he should have all the answers for us on horseplop!!

[Grandstand Handicapper]

And now Nancy has Gruesome Twosome as well.