Sebastian K, the world’s fastest trotter, will make his Hoosier Park Racing & Casino debut as he heads a powerful field of 10 in the $238,500 Centaur Trotting Classic on Saturday, September 20.
Offering arguably the best 14-race card of the 2014 live harness racing season to-date, Hoosier Park will play host to a stakes-filled card that boasts lofty purses as Grand Circuit racing action returns to the seventh-eighths mile oval. As Hoosier Park’s signature trotting event, The Centaur Trotting Classic will highlight the 14-race program that begins at 5:15 p.m.
The eight-year-old Swedish trotter Sebastian K has taken the sport of harness racing by storm since arriving in North America earlier this year, setting records nearly everywhere he goes. Boasting a career bankroll of over $2.9 million, Sebastian K has won 34 of 72 races in his career and has only been defeated one time in eight starts since racing in North America.
Sebastian K’s stunning 1:49 victory on June 28 at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in the $100,000 Sun Invitational was the fastest clocking ever recorded by a trotter. In addition to trotting the fastest mile in history, he is also the first trotter to ever win four times in 1:50.3 or faster.
The No. 1-ranked harness racing horse in North America last appeared on August 29 at Vernon Downs when he won the Crawford Farms Open Trot in 1:53. Sebastian K is owned by Knutsson Trotting Inc. and is trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt. Svanstedt and Sebastian K will start from post six in the field of ten and have been enlisted as the 3-5 morning line favourite.
Joining the stellar cast of entrants in the Centaur Trotting Classic is Hambletonian winner Market Share, who will start from the coveted rail position with regular driver Tim Tetrick at the lines. Market Share, who has won 24 of 51 races and $3.4 million in his career, was last season’s Dan Patch Award winner for best older male trotter and the 2012 Dan Patch Award winner for best three-year-old male trotter. The triple millionaire is trained by Linda Toscano and has been tabbed as the morning line second choice.
The Centaur Trotting Classic is part of a stakes-filled card on Saturday at Hoosier Park, which also includes the $250,000 Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes for two-year-old trotting and pacing fillies, the $150,000 Elevation Pace for two-year-old pacing colts and the $50,000 Jenna’s Beach Boy Invitational Pace for three-year-old pacing colts. HRTV, The Network for Horse Sports, will provide exclusive coverage for the 14-race card. Racing fans can also catch exclusive interviews on the HRTV programming from drivers and trainers racing at Hoosier Park.
Following is the Centaur Trotting Classic field in post order with trainers:
1. Market Share, Linda Toscano
2. Natural Herbie, Verlin Yoder
3. Red Hot Herbie, Byron Hooley
4. Creatine, Bob Stewart
5. Master of Law, Jimmy Takter
6. Sebastian K, Ake Svenstadt
7. Uncle Peter, Jimmy Takter
8. Fusion Man, Jeff Smith
9. Arch Angel, Ron Burke
10. Appomattox, Liisa Vatanen
(Hoosier)