EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The word "lucky" might be in his name, but it takes a lot more than luck to do what race horse Lucky Jim has done this year.

The 4-year-old gelding has established himself as one of the top trotters in the world this year by winning 16 out of 17 races. On Saturday, he will try to finish the season on top in his final race of the year at the Breeders Crown Trot at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J.

Lucky Jim is co-owned by two Indiana men, Bill Gregg and David Prushnock, as well as John Prushnock, of Punxsutawney.

Lucky Jim's success has taken the owners by surprise as the horse went winless in nine races last year.

During the offseason, the owners hired Julie Miller as the horse's new trainer, and her husband Andy Miller as the new driver, and in March, they witnessed how special Lucky Jim could be when he equaled the record for a 4-year-old gelding on a mile track with a time of 1:51.3.

"Normally, the great horses, they just race in the summertime, but no one knew how good this horse would be," Gregg said, "so that's why we had him out there in March. We were amazed when he set that record in March."

Lucky Jim has earned his owners a total of $763,618 this year, which is the most this year among 4-year-old trotters.

Lucky Jim's only loss came at the Maple Leaf Trot in Canada, where he finished third place, but he followed that up with another record performance his following race, the Nat Ray Invitational, on Aug. 8. In that event, Lucky Jim cruised to a 4 1/2 length victory in 1:50.1, which equaled the all-ages trotting record on a mile track. The time was also the best ever for a 4-year-old on a mile track.

"He's put together one of the best seasons in the history of the sport," Gregg said. "He's just dominated everything he's come against this year."

In fact, Lucky Jim has been so dominant that he has practically scared away the competition in the Breeders Crown Trot.

Only five other horses have entered the race, which is one of the biggest of the year in harness racing. Gregg said normally about 10 horses would enter the event, which Lucky Jim is favored to win. The total prize pool for the race is $600,000.

Gregg said Lucky Jim isn't expected to race any more this year after this weekend's event, but that will only offer opponents a short reprieve.

"He'll be back as a 5-year-old and a 6-year-old," Gregg said.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)