Lucas Wallin knows he still has a lot to learn about training racehorses. But at the age of only 23, he says with a laugh, “I have a couple of years to learn everything.”
Wallin, who worked for trainer Ake Svanstedt for more than two years after arriving in the U.S. from Sweden in 2014, recently started his own harness racing stable. He is based in New Egypt, NJ, and is in the process of assembling horses for his barn. On Wednesday, he added three to his roster with the purchases of Chapter Seven-sired trotting colt Dont Press Send, Explosive Matter-sired trotting filly Winbak Noelle and Conway Hall-sired trotting colt Handsome Devil at the Standardbred Horse Sale.
Dont Press Send, out of the mare Roisin and from the same family as two-time Dan Patch Award-winner Wesgate Crown, sold for $50,000. Winbak Noelle, out of Winbak Roberta, sold for $14,000. Handsome Devil, out of Not A Diva and from the same family as multiple Dan Patch Award winner CR Kay Suzie, sold for $30,000.
“I had one guy from Europe that sent me to look at a horse and I really looked at him,” Wallin said about Dont Press Send. “He liked the breeding, so we went for him. I liked him; he was a good looking horse, standing good, showed a lot of personality on the video. He seems to be a happy horse and he gives me a good feeling.”
Wallin has six horses, including stakes-winning seven-year-old trotter Appomattox. Wallin’s stable made its debut with a second-place finish from two-year-old trotting colt Yankee Doodle Andi on October 27 at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Wallin bought the horse for $10,500 at the Tattersalls Summer Mixed Sale at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
At last month’s Lexington Selected Sale, Wallin bought Big Bang De Vie, whose family includes two-time Dan Patch Award winner Lucky Chucky, for $35,000.
Wallin was eight when he started driving ponies in Sweden. Several years later, he began helping at his uncle Joakim Wallin’s stable. Wallin was alerted to the opportunity with Svanstedt’s stable in the U.S. by childhood friend Oskar Florhed.
“I had a really, really good time at Ake’s place and I learned a lot of things,” Wallin said. “You learn something every day. Now I know the system here in America and I feel comfortable. Of course maybe it would be a good idea to work for an American trainer for a year or two but I decided I would try on my own.”
In addition to serving as an assistant trainer at Svanstedt’s stable, Wallin has won 26 of 171 drives the past two years, but plans to focus on training at this point.
“I think I’m going to try to put on the best catch drivers,” Wallin said. “If they cannot drive, then I’ll drive myself. These guys are so good and they drive so many races every week, if you have the chance to get them it’s stupid not to use them.”
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.