Sidelined the entire year due to a fractured pastern in his left hind leg, Always B Miki is back in serious training for new trainer Jimmy Takter and is expected to have a qualifier within a few weeks.

“I trained him last week and was very happy with him,” Takter said. “We’ll go a faster mile Tuesday on my farm and then, if everything is good, he will qualify the following week, when they open up again at Pocono. I don’t know if he’ll make Lexington or not. We’ve got to play it by ear. He’s a big horse and with big horses they always seem a little bit harder to get into high peak form. I have good, patient owners. So far I am very happy with him. He’s the real deal.”

Despite the injury, Takter has been so impressed with Always B Miki that he bought a small piece of the Indiana-bred.

“I bought in at 5 %,” he said. “I don’t want to disclose how much but it was a lot of money. I just love this horse. He’s got the right temperament and he never gets tired. There are some things we still have to work on because he hasn’t been a sound horse. It might actually turn out to be a blessing that he’s going to miss so much of the year. The 4-year-old year, going against the aged horses, can be very hard on a horse.”