Howard Taylor's lifelong love affair with Harness Racing has made him one of the leading owners in the sport for years. The longtime owner has more than 170 horses and employs upwards of 40 trainers, which certainly has to rank him at or near the top in both categories. An attorney by trade, Taylor took time to discuss his role defending horsepeople, the indictments from March 2020 and everything Harness Racing in a detailed interview that everyone should enjoy. How did you get started in harness racing? My dad bought horses when I was young and I went to the track to work with them. Like a lot of young kids in the business, I dreamed of being a driver/trainer. I did it for a little while before I got stupid [said tongue-in-cheek] and went to law school. Did you have any shared experience owning horses with your father? We didn't own too many together. We had absolutely different philosophies. I liked racehorses and he liked stakes horses and babies. I owned some with my mother because my father had passed and she wanted to stay in it and didn't know enough. I'm sure there was one or two that I owned with him but I can't remember any. Your philosophy has done a 180 to be more in sync with your dad, no? I've been trying for the last year to get rid of a lot of the racehorses and stay with just 2- and 3-year-olds. It has done a 180. I've had some success and been lucky, so I buy more yearlings. There is a limit to how many you can own and you really can't sell the 2- and 3-year-olds, so I've been selling the older ones.  Most people know you as one of the most active owners in the sport but you actually have 55 driving wins and a few as a trainer. Why did you give it up? I dabbled in driving up until about eight years ago. I actually won four of my last five drives. I went to law school and didn't have the time to commit to the horses. My dad was a lawyer and my mother's father was a lawyer, so that was pretty much what I was going to do.  My last drive was at Pocono Downs and my wife and mother came down to watch. The horse I had ran off the track and almost went full speed right into a trailer. He stopped maybe 10 feet from the trailer. I just thought I was going to be dead. He was so close to the trailer that I had to get off the bike and back him out. They asked me if I wanted to scratch him and I said that I drove two hours to get there and it didn't hurt the horse, so let's go. I went wire to wire and won. When I got back to the winner's circle my wife (Marlene) said to me, I hope you had fun out there because you are never driving another horse as long as you live.  Do you miss driving? I do. She's gone and I lost a little weight partly because of it. I went down to the farm with Dylan Davis and I was training a couple just to see. In the back of my mind, maybe I will get back into it. So we might see you in the GSY amateur series? I'm eligible now. I had an 'A' license. I won at The Meadowlands and everywhere, but now I'm eligible again. I'm thinking about it. Does your past experience as a driver provide you a different perspective than some owners? I'd like to think so. I have a more realistic approach and the philosophy that if something isn't doing what I think it will do, it is easier to get rid of quicker. I think I have a good eye and a good understanding of what may have gone wrong and why. The trainers have told me that they are a lot more tolerant with me because I understand more. You've been one of the leading owners in the sport for at least the last decade. What does it take to stay on top? A lot of luck, and that is basically all it is because it doesn't seem to matter how much you spend on these things. You just have to get lucky. I don't think I have a better eye than anybody, but some of the horses who have become my top horses, it is just dumb luck. With Atlanta, Rick Zeron was talking to a friend of mine and asked if he bought a couple if I would take a piece. I said ok and ended up with two horses, Courtney Hanover ($229,971) and Atlanta ($3,131,727). Tall Dark Stranger, I had a trainer come up to me and tell me he was the greatest yearling he ever saw. He said that he was going to be very expensive and he needed me to take at least a quarter. I said, let's see what it brings. He calls me up the next day and said that the vet looked at him and didn't like what he saw and for the money he brought he didn't think it was worth the risk. The next day Jimmy Takter, who had just done a great job with Tactical Landing, he called and said, 'Every year I pick out one horse I have to own and I found the horse and will give it to Nancy [Takter], but I need you to take a quarter.' So I said ok. He was leading trainer and just did a great job with Tactical Landing. Frankly I was honored that he called me up to offer a piece of a yearling. I realized after I hung up I never asked him what horse. It turned out to be the same horse [Tall Dark Stranger] the other guy passed on.  What kind of car do you drive? BMW 6-Series convertible. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Lobster; Popcorn. What is your favorite track to visit? Why? It was Brandywine. Now I guess Pocono Downs. They are very friendly. I like the way they treat you. The casino is very nice and I think it is the greatest racing surface. That's where I loved to drive when I did it. I just love watching races there. What is your favorite big event in racing? Why? Probably the Hambletonian. It is just the most exciting. I just got back from the Elitlopp because I was stupid and forgot to buy trip insurance. The ultimate irony is that I went all the way to see Back Of The Neck in Sweden and he raced at Chester [Harrah's Philadelphia], which is 20 minutes from my house, on the same day. It was still a great experience. If you asked me for the best one-time experience of going to the track, it would be the Elitlopp. The way the people love racing and the way they treat the trainers, drivers and owners, it is unparalleled. How often are horses or racing on your mind? 24/7. Everyone says that but you can ask anyone that knows me. My daughter, she's a third-year law student who worked with me over the summer, will tell me that I have to stop it and concentrate on law. She tells me I have to put the phone down and stop talking horses 24/7.  What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing? I don't do too much outside of harness racing but I guess going to restaurants. I'm a big foodie. I used to own three restaurants.  What is your favorite restaurant? My favorite of all-time, there was a place across the street from Pocono called the Chicken Coop. They had the best wings and I love chicken wings. Super Bowl Sunday was their last day. I never went to Pocono without stopping there.  What is your favorite sport to watch? Team? Anyone that knows me is aware that I bleed green, the Philadelphia Eagles. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know? A lot of the fans don't know I was a driver/trainer. Most of them only know me as an attorney or owner. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? My life.  What has kept you in the sport as an owner? It is in my blood and I can't get it out. There have been times when I thought about it when it's been frustrating, but not seriously. I had one guy tell me that he figured out why I had so many horses and it is because I love the action, and he's right. There have been Saturdays where I have 25 horses in on a day and I just go from the computer screen to the TV watching all day. It is my life. How many horses do you currently own? I would guesstimate it is in the 175 range. You've taken some flak over the years for some of the people you've defended as an attorney in the sport. What do you say about that? People think that I'm trying to get people off on technicalities but I am selective. I do turn down people, a lot of people. First, I try to help someone that needs help that couldn't do it without me. Second, I do turn down people that I don't believe in. Third, there are a lot of times where I believe someone deserves to get a suspension but not to the degree that has been given, so I try to help them get it reduced rather than get them off.  Another thing that people don't know about me is that I have a great relationship with every state racing commission, outside of New Jersey. They know me and respect me, so I can get deals done where other people couldn't because they know I'm honest.  I didn't see your name connected to any of the people who were indicted back in March 2020. Was that by design? Most of the people, I think they did something wrong and deserve a penalty. I don't like some of the way some of the stuff was handled. Quite frankly, I did talk to Rene [Allard]. Forget about what you read or what people are saying he admitted to, if you read what he agreed to plead guilty to, it is nothing that you would think someone would be in trouble for. It is basically buying in bulk instead of having a bottle of medication targeted for a specific horse after talking to the vet about a specific problem. But in reality, most people do that. I told Rene that he should fight and he wanted to fight, but it just got to the point where it didn't make economic sense in light of what they've agreed to accept as far as the charges. So I was involved a little bit, only to advise him because I don't do criminal work. Honestly, five or six of them did call me first when they got into trouble, but I don't represent everyone that calls me and I don't do criminal work. I don't want to be responsible for someone going to jail. What is the best advice you've ever gotten or given about harness racing? The best advice I got was from my father, who told me I was crazy and had too many horses.  It doesn't seem like you listened to your dad, does it? No. I have 40 trainers; I don't just have a lot of horses. I try to spread them around, help people, maybe a guy who only has one or two horses.  Isn't it hard to manage that? Yeah, that's why I miss my wife more than anything. I had like 30 or 40 horses at one time and was way over my head. She told me she could put it on the computer and help me. She was a whiz at it. She said to me: 'When I did this I thought it was because it would make life easier for you and we'd have more time to do things like travelling. I didn't think it was so you'd have more time to buy horses.'  Which is the best horse you've ever owned? I'd have to say it was Tall Dark Stranger. He did things that no horse could do and he obviously liked doing it. I really do believe he would tease other horses, let them get close and pull away. It's tough because I had Atlanta and I'll always have a soft spot for Buck I St Pat.  Which was the most disappointing horse you've ever owned? In The Arsenal. He was a great horse, then I bought him and he never came back to his 2-year-old form.  What was your best moment in harness racing? Obviously the Hambletonian win [Atlanta]. I would've loved to have been there to win the Jug [Lou's Pearlman] last year and obviously I couldn't. That's a dream and is something special. I would've loved to have been there when he won the North America Cup [Tall Dark Stranger], but again, with COVID I couldn't get there. But the Hambletonian was special and I had my family with me so that means a lot too.  [EDITOR'S NOTE: The following question was asked before Atlanta's win in the Armbro Flight on June 18.] Buck I St Pat raced for you at the top level until she was 8 years old. Now 7, how much more do you think Atlanta has in the tank?  I talked to Ronnie [Burke] coming into this year and he thought she was going to be better than she's ever been and I'd have to say she's been a little disappointing. If she doesn't turn it around, I only have a one-third vote, but I won say it is time [to retire her]. She will race until she shows she is not the best because I don't believe in cheapening her reputation. If she is top 10 instead of top 5, I would strongly urge to retire her and I don't think I'd have any pull-back from my partners. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Is Atlanta the best trotting mare in North American history? Well, there was Moni Maker, so if she isn't one she's in the top two. She's done everything; she's beaten the boys and won the Hambletonian. In 2021 you partnered with Brad Grant on Atlanta's full sister In Italian at Harrisburg. Having now seen her baby race, what are your expectations? Ronnie [Burke] loves her. She didn't do a lot [in her first qualifying start] but what she did was handy. I don't know what her bottom is. It is certainly more than she did. I'm cautiously optimistic. She was a safe buy because she's worth a ton as a broodmare. I wasn't there when they bought her because that was towards the end when my wife was sick, but they said she is one of the most magnificent-looking fillies; like a stud colt. My hope is that she is Atlanta. Is it possible to curtail expectations on such a high-priced yearling ($750,000)? When you spend that much money you better have big expectations. One of the best buys I ever made dollars and cents wise was Tactical Landing. I was the first one asked and the last one in to buy him. He was a disaster as a 2-year-old but when he was syndicated it was a major profit. Jimmy Takter performed the greatest job of training a horse under pressure in a short time in history. You own some of your horses in partnership and some solo. What goes into that decision? If somebody asks me I buy in with them. I like the comraderie of having partners, like Abe Bassen and Ed Gold. We had a lot of fun and success with 'Buck I', Schnitzledosomthin, his sister and Economy Terror. I like calling them up and talking about it or going to the track with them. Brad Grant might be the greatest guy in the sport and I love owning horses with him. It's funny, I was one of his first partners and he always had horses by himself. I'm going the other way. I've had some minor problems with some of my partners and I've been leaning more and more on buying them with myself.  Outside of In Italian, can you give me one 2-year-old you are most looking forward to watch? There are a bunch but I bought a yearling maybe five or six years ago from an Amish guy. She was a trotting filly and I renamed her Queen Marlene after my wife. She was ok but nothing special and the guy told me if I ever wanted to sell her back he would buy her as a broodmare. She got done racing and I sold her back to him. Two years later he called me up and told me he had a magnificent-looking Father Patrick colt out of that mare and he'd rather sell him to me than put him in the sale. I told him I wasn't interested. It was early to buy a horse as it was only July. Then he said I named him Prince Howard and I said, ok, I'll buy him. Nancy [Takter] has him.  What about 4-year-old Carbine. How much did he impress you in his June 4 gutsy comeback win in the Graduate series? There was a horse that truth be told I was wondering why we were bringing him back from 2 to 3 because he didn't do much and I like to call out horses if they don't live up to expectations. Then Eric Cherry said they were telling him that the horse just keeps growing and growing and he would be a better 3-year-old and probably better 4-year-old. He was a good 3-year-old but he wasn't anything great to watch. Tony brought him back this year and qualified him while I was there and he's just been unbelievable every start.  Todd McCarthy told Eric [Cherry] that [Carbine's] last quarter in his first start this year was the fastest last quarter of any horse he has sat behind in his life. He was just awesome. How would you rate yourself as an owner? Are you laid back or more hands-on? Depends on who I'm dealing with. I don't mess with Ron Burke or Nancy Takter, although I'll talk to them and suggest stuff. I'm not a novice and I think they'll tell you that my opinion is a bit better than most, but most of them I'm hands-on and I always put my two cents in. I'm hands-on in terms of managing and watching but I'm laid back in that I realize things happen and horses break down, so I'm more accepting of bad news. It is a lot easier to be accepting when if one goes down you still have 170. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? It is not the deepest concern but it is a major concern in the sport, and I'm as guilty as anyone, an inordinate percentage of the good horses are owned by an inordinately small percentage of the owners. I think that is a recipe for disaster when you have six or seven people owning 90% of the top horses. It's bad. I don't know what you can do about it and I'm right in the middle of it. Desperate Man, who won the North America Cup last year and was family owned, that was a feel-good story. The guy bought the horse as a cheap yearling and gave it to them as a wedding present. We need more of that, the little guy winning races.  How do you view the future of harness racing? The near future is very strong and hopefully we can do something to convince others and keep it strong.  Time for the stretch drive:  Best Horse you ever saw?: The best race I ever saw and one of the best horses was Dragon's Lair winning the Breeders Crown. The best horse would have to be Niatross. Best Driver Ever?: Toss-up between John Campbell and Herve Filion. Best Trainer?: Jimmy Takter. When the money is down there is no one better. Lasix -- Yes or No?: Yes. I'm a bigger fan of Amicar. It is Lasix but doesn't dehydrate them. I'm for anything that helps the horse but doesn't enhance performance.  Favorite TV Show?: The Wire is my favorite of all-time but right now it is Better Call Saul. Trotters or Pacers?: I guess right now it has to be trotters but it was always pacers. My father hated trotters and would never own them so I grew up with all pacers.