The speed demon

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 European trotter they barely had heard of could compete with the best North Americans. But, as the trotting world quickly realized, the question was rather how the best North Americans could compete with the European speed demon. As it turned out, when Sebastian K was at his best, they simply didn’t stand a chance.

Before making his US debut in the Cutler Memorial elimination there were doubters as to how the 8-year-old European would stack up against the best North Americans. Most expected him to do well, but the mood was one of curiosity without any expectation of dominance. In his first qualifier he ran barefoot with a regular sulky and looked good but nothing extraordinary. Consequently, in his debut he went off at 5-1 odds. US bettors would not make that mistake again. Less than 2 minutes later Sebastian K had taken North America by storm with a dazzling 1:50.1 (1.08,5) performance – equaling the world and track record. Not everybody was convinced, though. In one comment on Standardbred Canada’s website, somebody – who might as well remain anonymous – wrote that “Sebastian K raced without shoes in this effort, I have yet to see a trotter race well back to back without shoes in N.A. It remains to be seen.”

Well, as it turned out it would be seen. Repeatedly. Sebastian K went from victory to victory, usually winning with ease and on June 28 he shattered the world record for all categories with a stunning 1:49 (1.07,7) performance in the Sun Invitational at Pocono. After his record-equaling debut most people expected Sebastian K to lower the world record, but the manner in which he did it took many by surprise. It would not take long for Godzilla comparisons to appear online. His first North American slip-up was a loss to Intimidate in the Maple Leaf Trot on a wet Mohawk racetrack but normalcy was soon restored with a resounding win on Hambletonian day when he equaled Archangel’s fresh 1:50 (1.08,4) world record in the Cashman Memorial – still racing barefoot and staying off Lasix. Racing barefoot was something his trainer Åke Svanstedt firmly believed in as it gives the horse a more natural gait despite this being uncommon in the US.

A dominant personality

The story of Sebastian K started 3 generations ago when his owner, Swedish company Knutsson Trotting AB (founded by Bertil Knutsson and then owned by his sons Michael Knutsson and Tristan Sjöberg), acquired the mare Sissi Hari. Her sire was The Prophet, a good trotter who was second to Triple Crown winner Lindy’s Pride in both the Hambletonian and the Yonkers Trot as well as the Swedish champion sire for three years. Her dam Willa Eden was imported from the US in 1980 and her maternal line runs, through Dorothy Day, back to the famous Mamie – the Midway Matron.

Sebastian K’s tail female: Mamie, the Midway matron

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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Willa Eden was covered by Probe and the resulting foal, born on May 15, 1995, was named Gabriella K – named for Michael’s oldest child who had been born just prior – and would go on to make only 13 starts due to an injury.

According to Sjöberg in 2014, Gabriella K is “dominant and her personality has been passed on to Sebastian. None of the other horses dare to mess with her, even when she is 20 years old.” When White Bliss, better know as “the white pacer”, arrived at Svanstedt’s training facility in Florida many horses were frightened by the white newcomer. Sebastian K, however, went straight up to White Bliss and nipped him. In the eyes of Sjöberg, it was like he was saying “don’t think you can just show up here and think you are something”. Soon, however, they had neighboring boxes and paddocks at Legend Farm and became best buddies.

Tremendous speed

Bertil Knudssen strongly believed in mixing American and French bloodlines and saw the extremely speedy French trotter Korean as a very good match with Gabriella K. From early on it became clear that Sebastian K possessed his sire’s tremendous speed. With an owner who did not believe in racing two-year-olds and a throat infection early in the 3-year-old season, Sebastian K’s debut was slightly delayed. However, in only his 7th career start he set a Swedish record for 3-year-olds over long distance, 2600 meters (1 10/16 mile), with a turning start in a 1.15,6 time (2:01.3f MR). At 3 and 4, the colt was a bit inconsistent, failing in the Sprintermästaren (the Sprint Championship, a group I-race for 4-year-olds), the Swedish Breeders Crown and the Swedish Derby elimination. But there were highs, too, such as the somewhat surprising win in the Konung Gustaf Vs Pokal (King Gustaf V’s Trophy) as well as the second-place in the Grand Prix l’UET, the European championship for 4-year-olds, behind Main Wise As.

In his 5-year-old season in 2011 Sebastian managed “only” 3 wins in 15 starts, but still established himself in the aged elite and also finished second in another six races, including to Rapide Lebel in both heats of the Åby Stora Pris. The following year he improved further and firmly established himself as one of the best horses in Europe, winning the Finlandia-Ajo in the spring, before later that year taking home Sundsvall Open Trot, Åby Stora Pris and the UET Trotting Masters final.

Trying something different

Midway through the year he had changed trainers from Lutfi Kolgjini to Åke Svanstedt and the moved had seemed to improve Sebastian K even further. Sjöberg explains: “It was no criticism of the job Kolgjini had done, we just wanted to try a different setup” and added that Svanstedt and Sebastian K seemed to be on the same wavelength immediately. Sebastian K trotted a then-personal best of 1.09,0 (1:51f) in his first race for Svanstedt when finishing second to Commander Crowe in the Hugo Åbergs Memorial.

In 2013 the colt continued to prove himself as one of the best European trotters, winning Oslo Grand Prix, Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp and Åby Stora Pris, the latter by defeating Save The Quick in the race-off after going 4-1 in the two first heats. He also won his Elitlopp elimination but disappointed when he finished last in the final. On the season he won 6 of 11 races which took his career stats so far to 26-12-2 in 63 starts. As trainer Åke Svanstedt moved to the US at the end of the season, so did Sebastian K.

Improved from quarantine

After winning the elimination and final of the Cutler Memorial, TVG Free for All and Sun Invitation at Pocono, Sebastian K. headed to Canada. At Mohawk he won the Maple Leaf Trot elimination, but finished second in the final, being narrowly beaten by local upset Intimidate on a soggy track. Sebastian K was never entirely at home on a muddy track, anyway. Back at the Meadowlands he won the elimination and final of the Cashman Memorial, before trotting home the Crawford Farms Open Trot at Vernon Downs. Nobody knew it at the time, but it would be the superstar’s final win.

Perhaps surprisingly, when Sebastian K won his fifth US start, it was the first time in his career he had won 5 in a row. In Europe there was no question that he was extremely speedy and one of the best, if not the best, miler around, but he had off-days. Furthermore there was also the question if the colt was better in the lead or attacking from cover. Few, if any, European trotters could match Sebastian K’s gate speed, but if used early he could then be vulnerable if he got pushed too much in the middle portions of the race. In his insane 1:49 (1.07,7) world record in the Sun Invitational at Pocono, the Korean-son showed his immense gate speed with a 26.2 (1.05,6) first quarter, but also finished strongly. After that performance, however, Svanstedt indicated that the move across the Atlantic had changed Sebastian, stating that “earlier he would look back and wait for other horses, but now he is fully focused on going forward.” Oddly enough, the lengthy quarantine in which Sebastian had to go though, might have focused and improved him as a trotter. According to Sjöberg, “I think 7 months rest in quarantine had given him new momentum.”

In the Centaur Classic, in Indiana, Sebastian K again took the lead, but a slightly too hard opening on a demanding track caused him to fade to seventh in the end. Going to the Red Mile for the only time in his career, Sebastian K finished second in the Allerage Farms Open Trot. After breaking in the International Trot Preview, he skipped the main race and rounded off the season finishing far back in the TVG Free For All. Still, he had done enough to be given the Dan Patch Award. 8 wins in his first 9 starts, but none in the last 4 indicated it was a season which ended very differently to how it had started. In an interview with StandardbredCanada, Sjöberg revealed why.

“He is like a thoroughbred and does not like to race too often, so I wished we would have closed out the season earlier than we did as he was showing signs of fatigue towards October and November. For us and Ake it will be very beneficial to have that freshman year under our belts. We have learned a lot and have adapted to how things are done in the U.S. in comparison to over in Europe.”

A career-ending injury

Sebastian K returned to the track at 9, in 2015, but only started once, in the Sun Invitational at Pocono where he finished second, narrowly losing to JL Cruze. As it turned out, the star was not at his best and the world would soon know why. Less than two weeks later Sjöberg and Knutsson were forced to retire their star to the stallion ranks because a checkup had revealed a serious suspensory ligament injury.

“The ultrasound showed that there is quite a large amount of damage. The reason why Sebastian didn’t show any lameness this week is that he is so strong in the musculature around the injury spot which compensated for it all (…) The racing career is over. There is a great sadness in my heart. It’s terribly sad that it has to happen now when he looked so good in training,” Sjöberg stated in an interview with Swedish daily Expressen. Two weeks later it was announced that Hanover Shoe Farms had signed Sebastian K to stand stud in Pennsylvania.

“Anybody who ever saw Sebastian K at his best had to be impressed with his breathtaking speed, his incredible gait and the charisma that shone from every hair on his coat. He brings to Hanover a perfect outcross and possesses the magic elixir of the combination of great French and American blood that has dominated the best of world trotting for the last several decades. Moreover he is a great individual, who I feel confident will produce beautiful yearlings and very fast racehorses,” Hanover president Jim Simpson said in the press release when the agreement was made public.

After a declining number of mares he was moved to Ohio for the 2020 season. At the end of July, the then-14-year-old stallion was shipped to Australia to stand stud, but tragedy struck within days. Sebastian K died August 1, 2020 from colic.