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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While Hambletonian is forever immortalized in the history of trotting, what could possibly have turned out been his best son at stud is largely forgotten. One of Hambletonian’s very first foals, Alexander’s Abdallah was a spectacular sire whose life tragically ended way too early during the Civil War.
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An exceptionally fast trotter with soundness problems and chronic mental issues, Arndon sometimes posed a huge challenge to his legendary trainer. But when he did what he was supposed to he was a terrifyingly good trotter – and the first three-year-old to trot in 1:54.
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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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The blue-blooded Kentuckian excelled in Europe, becoming the first horse to win an international race at Vincennes and later went on to be a stallion champion, siring the first European-bred 2:05 trotter and multiple Derby-winners.
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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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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.
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He was champion stallion for many years, even after his death, in Norway. What many did not know is that he was initially considered a very good trotter in his crop in the US. Senator Ford was practically blind early in life, however, and for welfare reasons was not allowed to race. At stud, however, there was no stopping Senator Ford.
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