The Swedes traditionally don't place much emphasis on early ability in their trotters. They prefer to let their bones, bodies, and minds mature. Their goal is to have a sound, useful horse that can perform at the same level year after year. They're not into the "throwaway horse" mentality that prevails with some trainers in North America.
Still, the Swedes have every right to get excited about a pair of three year olds now.
The colt has the wonderful name of Maharajah and he looks as if he might rule Swedish trotting in the future. He's just a crown prince now, but if he lives up to expectations, the trotting throne could be his.
He is a son of Viking Kronos (American Winner – Conch Bonefish) and he's out of a top race mare named Chili Khan by Giant Chill (Speedy Crown – Chili Bowl). His second dam is Stevie Nicks – no, not the singer, but a Franco-Swedish mare by the great French stallion Tibur.
If you check his maternal line, Maharajah comes from a family of Swedish mares bred to exported Yanks like Active Bowler (Super Bowl) and Butch Hanover (Hoot Mon).
Majarajah is in his first season of racing and he's won four of six, including a smashing victory in the recent E3 international race over 2,140 meters. His share of the purse was C$136,497.
He won by two and a half lengths for driver Orjan Kihlstrom and trainer Stefan Hultman. Both driver and trainer have enjoyed great success in recent years. I've come to know Hultman fairly well and he's a burly guy with a great smile who exudes personality and warmth. And he's obviously a darn good trainer, too.
It will be interesting to see if Maharajah lives up to expectations or if he is fated to be merely an "early horse" that reaches his peak and never gets any better. His sire Viking Kronos was a spectacular two-year-old in Italy and a very good three-year-old until he met Varenne – and then Viking Kronos retired. He never raced past age three.
Viking Kronos would fit the mold for a successful sire in North America because he gets early speed and his daughter Lantern Kosmos was unbeaten in North America this year until her break last night in the Del Miller Memorial elims.
Dean Hoffman, one of North America's most prolific harness racing journalists and member of the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame, offers SC website readers his weekly look at international standardbred racing through his eyes.