Trainer Bjorn ‘Bernie’ Noren has let it be known that he is leaving the United States.
Noren is headed back to Europe to return to his Scandinavian roots.
Noren, who is a native of Sweden, had worked for trainer Jimmy Takter for several years before he made the decision to open up his own U.S. stable, which he ran from 2009 to 2013. Noren then became the assistant trainer to Ake Svanstedt, who had moved his base of operations from Sweden to the United States. Noren has worked in the Svanstedt Stable for more than two years. He made his recent announcement via social media.
Noren's family joined him in the United States last year. In his social media posting – which has been translated from Swedish to English – Noren wrote, "I have decided that it is time for me to move on. My wife, Laura, and our children are not so happy with the way of life here in the United States, so we have jointly decided to move us closer to our families in Sweden and Finland. We want to give our children a safe environment to grow up in and the Scandinavian lifestyle.
"Right now I do not have any specific job waiting for me there, but I hope that something interesting will pop up. It may be in Sweden or Finland, whichever will best suit our family. My time with Svanstedt has been very enjoyable, and I have learned a lot.
"The world record at Pocono Downs with Sebastian K is a memory I never will forget. Ake is one of the best horse trainers in the world and will have many good years ahead of them here in the U.S. I wish the entire team the best of luck."
(With files from harnessracing.com)