Hambletonian winner Nordic Catcher S, who hadn’t raced since capturing the million-dollar classic last Aug. 2, returned to action winning a qualifier by 14 lengths in 1:55.1 on Wednesday, June 3 at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

The four-year-old Six Pack-That Woman Hanover stallion crossed over to the pylons with the lead despite starting outside three other trotters in about a dozen steps, and trainer/driver Åke Svanstedt may have made the horse think this was just another legging-up mile when the pair reached the first two poles in :29.4 and :59.3.

Coming off the second turn, though, the distance between the pacesetter and his opposition started to grow, with the three-quarters reached in 1:28, and then Svanstedt shook the horse up a little on the far turn and the champion trotter responded with a :27.1 closing quarter while appearing well within himself – a big first step for Team Svanstedt, with Åke Svanstedt Inc. the owner with Little E LLC.

Nordic Catcher S is on the comeback trail after a suspensory tear ended his 2025 campaign following the 1:50 stakes record performance in the historic 100th edition of the Hambletonian at The Meadowlands.

In the first baby races of the season at Pocono Downs, nine events to open a 12-race qualifying session, Team Svanstedt came out roaring, winning five of the six trots, including a sweep of the filly events. The fastest mile among the freshmen – filly or colt, trotter or pacer – came from Anu, a daughter of Father Patrick out of Senorita Rita, who was the 2019 Goldsmith Maid and Kindergarten winner at two and earned more than $400,000. Anu is looking to race back to her royal parentage, going in 1:58.4 in her first charted line, on the engine with fractions of :29.3, 1:00.1 and 1:29.3, with Svanstedt driving the homebred for AB Svensk Reklamfinans LLC of Delray Beach, Florida.

Svanstedt trains and drove Laurensstrongluck (Muscle Hill-Lucky Ava), a winner in 2:01.4, with her last quarter in :28.4. He would have driven as well as trained all three filly winners, but wife Sarah won by a nose with Emotica (Walner-Jula Emmylou Me) in 2:04.1 over Eternal Light (Greenshoe-Baptism).

Team Svanstedt’s two male winners in the trotting ranks were Easy Down Blonde, a Walner-Hey Blondie colt who finished in :28.1 to win in a 2:00.2 mile, and Hypersonic, a Chapter Seven-Fleur De Hill colt who came home in :29 in a 2:01.3 effort.

The horse who stood in the way of a Svanstedt baby sweep was the Captain Corey-Are You Ready colt Celebrity Hunter, who handed Big Time Trot S and the stable their only freshman loss on Wednesday in a neck decision in 2:02.1, with the winner closing in :28.2  for driver Matt Kakaley and trainer Hunter Oakes.

Kakaley and Oakes also combined on the fastest pacer of the session, the Huntsville-Twin B Fabulous colt Twin B Wildfire, who paced raw to complete a 1:59 victory with 28 seconds on the end. 

Todd Schadel trains and drove the other two successful freshmen, both by Papi Rob Hanover: Dragon Flame (dam Dragon Lady Art) to a 2:01.1 success with a :28.3 closing panel in the day’s only filly pace, and the gelding Papi Was Right (dam Dabb), who also closed in :28.3 to stop the timer in 2:02.3.

(With files from PHHA/Pocono)