Trainer Bjorn 'Bernie' Noren has made many trips to the DuQuoin State Fair as assistant trainer for the Jimmy Takter Stable. In late 2008, Noren opened his own stable and will race his first horse at DuQuoin as listed trainer in the World Trotting Derby Filly race on Friday.

Noren’s charge, Moonlight Kronos has been in the US slightly over a month, arriving from Sweden in late July with four wins in six starts. The filly was an impressive second place finisher in the Oaks eliminations on August 1, racing much of the time on the outside, but made a break at the three-quarter marker in the final and finished seventh.

“She came a week before the Hambletonian Oaks (in late July) and after the Oaks final, she went down to Maryland to finish quarantine for two weeks. In the Oaks final, she had a little problem in her right hind (leg) but she should be much better now. I changed her shoes and added a head pole on the inside. The track (at DuQuoin) should be perfect for her, the turns are wide and should be very good for her.”

Noren says Monnlight Kronos, a daughter of Viking Kronos has one important attribute. “She has enormous speed,” he says. “She’s nice to drive, but she really has enormous speed and she showed that in Sweden, too. Like all the Viking Kronos horses, they’re almost like Thoroughbreds with a very high turn of speed. You’re going to see a lot more of them, I think, and people are going to see that speed.”

(Harness Racing Communications)