Standardbred Hall of Fame Trainer Jimmy Takter Joins WHOA to Support the Horseracing Integrity Act

In a week when horse trainers from all racing disciplines have publicly come forward to voice their support for medication reform in horse racing through the Horseracing Integrity Act, Standardbred Hall of Fame trainer, Jimmy W. Takter, has joined WHOA. In a statement to WHOA Mr. Takter said: "Finally we have an organization that can improve our business and sport.  God created a wonderful animal in the horse, that we have the pleasure to work with on a daily bases.  In return it is our responsibility to care for these horses and to treat them with respect.  Horse racing is a costly business and I understand that through very competitive competition revenue needs to be generated to sustain the cost involved.  Performance enhancing drugs are not the means to improve one's chances of competitiveness. Performance drugs jeopardize the health of horses and human participants and the confidence of the betting public.   In order for horse racing to thrive we need uniform rules/laws and uniform enforcement of these rules/laws in The United States.  The Horseracing Integrity Act can give us that. I am very proud to be joining the efforts of WHOA." Jimmy W. Takter Jimmy Takter is one of the world's leading trainers of Standardbred horses. Elected to the United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2011, he is a six time trainer of the year and the trainer of 33 Breeders Crown Champions. Mr. Takter's horses have earned twenty-eight Dan Patch Championships. These awards include Horse of the Year honors for Moni Maker and Malabar Man. Moni Maker retired in 2000 with earnings of $5,589,256, making her, at the time of her retirement, the richest Standardbred of all time and the richest female race horse of any breed.  Born in Sweden in 1960, Mr. Takter moved his stable to the U.S. in 1982 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. Mr. Takter married his childhood sweetheart, Christina, and they have four children.  In 2014 their daughter, Nancy Johansson, was named 'Rising Star' and trained the American and Canadian Horse of the Year JK She'salady.   In addition to Mr. Takter, standardbred trainers John Balzer, Ralph Figlow, Brad Firlotte, Gordon Irwin, Nancy Johansson, Jan Johnson, Mike Keeling, Randal Lawton, and Douglas Miller have also joined WHOA and have taken a stand in support of the Horseracing Integrity Act (HIA).