He was designated as a wedding gift to circumvent export restrictions after WWII, then caused despair when he refused to train...
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She was one of the most famous trotters around the time Hambletonian was born, but we don’t even know her name. In the mid...
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The New England-star was sold to Europe and impressed the French so much he was purchased by their national stud. Despite all the...
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The expression “Who’s your daddy?” is often used as a claim of dominance. In the case of the 1938 foals of Gäel, a champion...
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He was broken, but never trained for a single race. When Electioneer was bought at 8 for a huge sum he had nothing to show for...
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He was one of the best trotters the world has seen and went on to become an even better stallion before he died too soon. The...
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He was a slight two-year-old who was sold off in the belief that he had no future. However, the 15 hands/152 cm trotter grew to be a spectacular animal with exceptional speed and strength and, most of all, extreme courage and gameness. “Little Lee” would indeed be the biggest, before he tragically died way too soon.
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He is often thought of as a backwater stallion who fluked one great son despite being a lame horse not good enough to race. However, nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Pilot Medium, who was one of the best American sires toward the end of the 19th century.
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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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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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Named for a Pokemon character, the Illinois-bred trotter proved that you don’t need the most fashionable pedigree to beat the best. Kadabra was a spectacular trotter who set a world record at 4 before he retired to become an elite stallion.
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He was one of Norway and Scandinavia’s best trotters for years and hailed from an exceptional group of siblings that included several elite trotters. Though described as “the most intelligent trotter I have ever dealt with”, Scott Protector could be grouchy and a handful at times. Regardless, he was an excellent trotter – and when that wasn’t enough, his trainer employed team tactics against the opposition.
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She was on her way to possibly becoming one of the best trotters in history when tragedy struck. The tale of Sadie Mac is one a trotter so superior it’s almost unparalleled, but also contains an ending so sad it’s almost incomprehensively.
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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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He competed for 12 seasons, won numerous big races through his 199 career starts and retired only to excel in show jumping dressage and everything else thrown at him. On Track Piraten won in several countries, over distances from one to two miles over ten seasons.
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She had six foals, all daughters, but died way too early at 12. Despite this, Mamie has left an exceptional legacy and is counted as one of the most important broodmares in trotting history.
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