At 7 he was still a highly average trotter, clearly below the best in France. However, a Dutch trainer thought he saw something...
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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...
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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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Having won the Hambletonian twice, in 1930 with Hanover’s Bertha and 1937 with Shirley Hanover, the Hanover Shoe...
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By many considered to be the best trotter in history, he was so popular that his name was even put forward as Foreign Minister of...
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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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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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The New England-star was sold to Europe and impressed the French so much he was purchased by their national stud. Despite all the high hopes, though, Net Worth turned out to be highly average as a stallion. There was nothing average about his performances on the track, however, as illustrated by him humiliating the French elite at Vincennes when he was 11.
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Some horses just make everybody, their owners, trainer, driver as well as the racing fans, go through the full spectrum of emotions. Few horses have done this more so than the French tank, Rapide Lebel. The gelding would occasionally trot away like his opponents weren’t there and was simply unstoppable at his best. However, on occasion the trotting public got to see the nutty side of the star.
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He was the talent that didn’t quite live up to his pedigree and the expectations. Sold to Europe, Brother Hanover produced tremendously well at stud in both the Netherlands and Germany and was an active stallion until his 30s.
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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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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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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 wasn’t just a win, it was humilating demonstration of supremacy. It was unthinkable really, that an – in North America – unknown French mare could not only defeat, but humiliate the trotter that according to the US fans was undoubtedly the best trotter in the world. However, Une de Mai at her best was nothing short of spectacular. The French queen could be fickle, however, and also lacked luck at times. This caused her to be the only French queen without a crown.
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