He competed for 12 seasons, won numerous big races through his 199 career starts and retired only to excel in show jumping...
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Ask somebody to name a horse with 30 straight wins and they will probably be able to do so: pacing fans will probably answer Bret...
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He had been a really good trotter in Europe and moved with his trainer to the US. At first some questioned if an 8-year-old...
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He set several world records, is one of few horses to beat Varenne fair and square and went on to become one of the best...
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When Googoo Gaagaa burst onto the Maryland scene many didn’t know what to think. A world record for 2-year-olds on a half...
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When Soviet trainer Maria Burdova wanted to drive Apex Hanover in the Prix d’Amerique in 1965 she was denied with the...
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He was the first superstar trained by Åke Svanstedt and helped make the trainer a household name all over trotting-Europe. Winner of the UET Grand Circuit for two years running, Zoogin was the complete package of speed and strength in powerful body.
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French trotters that visited Sweden in the 50s tended to dominate and the desire to bring in French bloodlines were very strong. When the French-born Tibur was brought to Scandinavia, however, the colt was rejected by the Swedish breeding commission. However, following the old adage that “cream always rises to the top”, Tibur proved himself a true elite stallion but only got his chance because of a loophole in the rules.
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When Åke Svanstedt recorded a fantastic win in the 2004 Elitlopp, he did it with a horse that two years earlier had been retired. But after 18 months away from the track, Gidde Palema returned in style and when the excellent trotter could race barefoot he was an almost impossible proposition for his competitors.
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He was talented but a contagious virus ruined his three-year-old season. Being sold to Europe got Bulwark’s career back on track but it was as a stallion he became truly legendary. Despite a relatively limited number of foals, the colt completely dominated the stallion ranks in his new home country.
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He was the unlikeliest of Hambletonian heroes. His breeder felt forced to buy his dam despite not wanting her, and also felt cheated when he first saw his new broodmare. His trainer cheered for another horse. His driver felt so sure he couldn’t win that he didn’t even invite his family. But in the 1992 Hambletonian final, Mickey McNichol and Alf Palema found the tiniest of openings to sprint to victory.
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He was an incredibly talented but with a challenging temper and extremely unlucky with injuries. Hailing from an exceptionally strong family, the gelding Västerbo Prestige turned out to be an exceptional stallion who unfortunately had a very limited number of foals.
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They bought the injured colt and brought him to Europe for stallion duty. But when Pershing healed he looked so good it was decided to race him, a decision that necessitates his owner to have to buy him again. But shelling out again for the excellent trotter who set three world records was an easy decision for his Swedish owner.
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It’s almost like the story of the ugly ducking. When Jan-Erik Andresen bid on the colt as a yearling, he thought his future star looked more like a moose. Though the big, burly colt was never a swan, eventually Yarrah Boko grew into one of the best long-distance trotters in Europe.
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In Sweden one horse is, above all, responsible for the growth of harness racing. According to famed trainer Stig-H Johansson, trotting in Sweden has Ego Boy to thank for its popularity. The horse was an unlikely superstar that came from nowhere to become one of the world’s top aged trotters before his unexplainable death while still at the top.
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He won one of the most prestigious races of all time, then retired to become an elite stallion. His performances in Europe in 1988 are still occasionally talked about by Scandinavian trotting fans who all agree on one thing: there was something really special about Sugarcane Hanover.
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