On Saturday (August 3) at the Meadowlands Racetrack, Per Engblom will be making his Hambletonian debut with his own stable, but he is no stranger to the race after having spent the past six years as the top assistant to the now-retired Hall of Fame trainer Jimmy Takter. Engblom was part of two Hambletonian victories during that time frame, with Trixton in 2014 and Pinkman in 2015.
The 39-year-old Engblom will send two horses into the Hambletonian, 15-1 Osterc in the first elimination and 10-1 Super Schissel in the second. Osterc was the 2018 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion and Super Schissel won the 2018 Matron Stakes. Both were trained by Takter last season.
“So far, we feel good,” Engblom said. “I try to do what we always did here, taking it easy and don’t step too much out of the line. We try to follow the routine and do what we always do. Hopefully the program we put together for the horses will have them peak at the right time.
“I’ve been around enough to know we’re not going in as favorites. I know we’re going in to try to make the best we can.”
Osterc, a son of Cantab Hall-Oh Oh Hereshecomes, has won three of eight races this year, including the Dexter Cup for breeders/owners Goran Falk and Christina Takter. He went off stride in two of his past three races, but Engblom attributed the miscues to shoeing. The colt enters the Hambletonian off a fourth-place finish in a division of the Tompkins-Geers on July 20.
“We went back to the old shoes and away we went,” Engblom said. “He’s a little tight gaited and if his timing is not right it makes a big difference for him. I think we’ve got him back on track. He’s just a great racehorse to be around. He always tries his heart out.
“The (Tompkins-Geers) turned into a sprint. He came home in :27 and that’s about as fast as he can come home, but he can take a lot of air. If the race sets up with different fractions, he’s going to benefit from that.”
Super Schissel, who has a conditioned win among six starts this season, heads to the Hambletonian off a third-place finish in last week’s Reynolds Memorial, when he started from Post 12 in a 12-horse field and was timed in 1:51.4. Engblom plans to race the colt, a son of Uncle Peter-Bavarde owned by Al Libfeld and Perry Soderberg, barefoot on Saturday.
“We saved that all year, now it’s time,” Engblom said. “That’s going to clean him up (gait-wise) a little bit. If we take his shoes off, he can trot a little bit faster. He can leave the gate a little bit faster and be a little more in the game. He trotted (1:) 51.4 with a little road trouble, so if we can make him five or six lengths better, he can pick up a cheque.”
The top five finishers from each of the Hambletonian’s opening-heat divisions will return later in the race card to contest the $1-million final (post time 5:14 p.m.). The final will be featured during a live broadcast that will be aired on the CBS Sports Network from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
The post positions for the Hambletonian’s opening-heat divisions appear below.
2019 HAMBLETONIAN
Heat 1 – Elimination 1
Post-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line Odds
1-Cantab Fashion-Scott Zeron-Jim Campbell-6/1
2-Summit In Sight-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-20/1
3-Swandre The Giant-David Miller-Ron Burke-7/2
4-Soul Strong-Dexter Dunn-Ake Svanstedt-8/1
5-Mr Vicktor-Tyler Buter-Jennifer Lappe-15/1
6-Osterc-Yannick Gingras-Per Engblom-15/1
7-Gimpanzee-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander-2/1
8-Green Manalishi S-Tim Tetrick-Marcus Melander-5/2
2019 HAMBLETONIAN
Heat 1 – Elimination 2
Post-Driver-Trainer-Morning Line Odds
1-Forbidden Trade-Bob McClure-Luc Blais-12/1
2-Gerry-Orjan Kihlstrom-Marcus Melander-20/1
3-Pilot Discretion-Andrew McCarthy-Tony Alagna-10/1
4-Reign Of Honor-David Miller-R. Nifty Norman-20/1
5-Greenshoe-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander-4/5
6-Dont Letem-Yannick Gingras-Nancy Johansson-4/1
7-Super Schissel-Scott Zeron-Per Engblom-10/1
8-Marseille-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-5/1
Important Links:
► Saturday Entries – Meadowlands Racetrack
► 2019 Hambletonian Day Program Pages
(USTA)