European

10 min read

The mythical kick

When Juhani Lagerstam started the Laukko trotting stud farm at Vesilahti in Finland he needed a few stallions to use on his many...

American, European

14 min read

The wedding gift

He was designated as a wedding gift to circumvent export restrictions after WWII, then caused despair when he refused to train...

American, European

8 min read

The secret daddy

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...

American, European

18 min read

The stateless horse

You have horses with great pedigrees, then you have those really blue-blooded horses … and then there is Florestan. Despite being...

European

15 min read

The horse who did the unthinkable

When Jean-Baptiste Bossuet looked at the yearling in September 1986, he wasn’t particularly impressed. There just was no...

European

30 min read

The first French king

He was a war foal who rose to the top of the French elite in the 1920. The first and only horse to be disqualified from a win in...

He was the tiny American with a heart of gold who became a star in the Soviet Union. The pioneering trio of Apex Hanover, Bill Fleming and Rowland Wade took on the Soviet stars at their home in Moscow in the 60s. After overcoming unfair tactics by the Soviet drivers, the US trio won the hearts and minds of the home crowd. Although little Apex Hanover (150 cms/14,3 hands) won the Arden Downs and George Wilkes Stakes as a 2-year-old in 1961, there was very little to indicate that this $18,000 yearling purchase would later enter the world stage.

The $20,000 stumble

American, European

18 min read

A supremely fast trotter, he is most famous for stumbling shortly ahead of the wire in the Hambletonian with victory within reach. Sold to Europe not long after equaling a world record at 4, Brown Berry later likely became a clandestine stallion in France.

The perfect cocktail

European

16 min read

When the French studbook was briefly opened between 1987 and 1992, conservative French breeders generally nixed the opportunity to breed their mares to foreign sires. Some even went as far as claiming they “didn’t want to plant weed in their garden”, saying in no unclear terms that the American standardbred had absolutely nothing to offer the French trotter whose studbook had been closed since 1937 and only opened for five foreign-born stallions and a few other exceptions. Despite what the naysayers claimed, though, opening up the studbook took French trotting to a completely new level – and the best example of this is Coktail Jet.

The horse God created

European

18 min read

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 stallions the world has ever seen. To his trainer, though, Viking Kronos was more than just a spectacular racehorse and stallion. He was everything. “God has created him, he’s a phenomenon. Then I have been given the great honor of taking care of him, for which I am eternally thankful”, Kolgjini said after the horse’s win in the E3 final in 1998.

The freak of nature

American, European

11 min read

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 mile track was impressive, but could he really be that good? As it turned out, at his best he was even better. Persistent injury problems caused an early retirement, but the hybrid-bred trotter then went from impressing on the track to impressing at stud.

The black pearl

European

17 min read

He was seemingly on his way to massive international stardom, but lady luck didn’t shine her light on Rudolf Le Ann. His owner died in a plane crash on the way to watch his beautiful black colt race, and two years later, as the colt appeared to be “better than ever,” he was struck with a life-threatening illness which set him back permanently.

The Sheriff’s queen

European

21 min read

When Soviet trainer Maria Burdova wanted to drive Apex Hanover in the Prix d’Amerique in 1965 she was denied with the explanation that sitting in a sulky “is an unnatural position for a woman.” 30 years later the world had finally moved forward and Helen Ann Johansson became the first female driver to win the Prix d’Amerique when she drove Ina Scot to victory.

The life changer

American, European

15 min read

Some horses have the potential to change somebody’s life. A superstar in Quebec, the mare initially named Fontaine Angus was invincible at 2 and became a life changer for her trainer. After a stellar career, Emilie Cas El followed up as a broodmare by producing a Hambletonian-winner.

The star who cost 20 sheep

European

12 min read

In 1989 Olav Christiansen, a farmer in the Norwegian village Åsenfjord, lost the right to let his sheep grace in the nearby mountains in the summer, so he decided to quit sheep farming and focus on harness racing. Trading his remaining sheep for a a yearling filly and an unborn foal, Christiansen made one of the most lucrative and one-sided deals in harness history.

The slim, unpromising filly

American, European

21 min read

The third filly to win the big race, The Marchioness was the first winner of a four-heat Hambletonian, the first winner with a female owner and the only one whose trainer and driver previously trained trotters for the Russian czar.