September 2021 Issue

Page 24 September 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN BLACK’S LIVESTOCK -The Next Pasture - Where the grass is always green, lush & stirrup high Individual Horse & Pet Cremation Standard Mortality 24 hour service available John E. Black: 610.220.5262 Matthew Hoffman: 610.656.3258 Office: 610.584.4482 Fax: 610.584.9111 BLACK’S LIVESTOCK P.O. Box 662 Skippack, PA 19472 www.nextpasture.com By Mike Farrell Captain Corey dictated the fractions under intense pressure and pulled clear in the lane to win the $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, NJ on August 7. Captain Corey beat Spy Booth by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:51 despite trotting through a :26 opening quarter, the fastest opening fraction in the stakes’ 96-year history. Captain Corey pulled away from sustained pressure to win the 96th edition of the Hambletonian by 1-1/2 lengths. Lisa Photo Captain Corey Wins 96 th Hambletonian at the Meadowlands It gave trainer-driver Åke Svanstedt (Columbus, NJ) his second win in the classic for 3-year-old trotters. This time, there was no doubt about the out- come. No asterisk. No interven- tion by the judges. Svanstedt got his first Hambletonian trophy in 2017 when Perfect Spirit was el- evated to victory after What The Hill was disqualified for interference. This time, Captain Corey took care of business with a determined effort. Svanstedt fired Captain Corey into the battle right from the start and soon had company in the form of Cuatro De Julio. Driver Lucas Wallin looked to drop Cuatro De Julio into a pocket trip behind the leader, only to have Yannick Gingras, piloting Delayed Hanover for Svanstedt, close the hole. Wallin had no choice but to continue the attack. “He’s a good horse who will fight, but he was a strong horse today,” Svanstedt said. That was an understatement. Cuatro De Julio pressed on, en- suring Captain Corey never had a breather around the second turn. After dispatching Cuatro De Julio at the top of the stretch, Captain Corey pulled clear and enjoyed open daylight in the march to the finish line. “I was worried they were going to come from behind,” Svanstedt said. Svanstedt looked over his shoulder several times in the lane, only to see nobody in range. Cap- tain Corey was on his way. Just as in the elimination, Captain Corey was the boss right from the start. The win was eighth in 12 career starts for the son of Googoo Gaagaa who earned $500,000 for the own- ership team of Svanstedt, SRF Stable, Knutsson Trotting and Midnight Sun Partners. Earlier in the year, Svanstedt was concerned when Captain Corey went through a growth spurt that compromised his gait. Since then, the boy developed into a man, and a Hambletonian champion at that! And the good news didn’t end there for the 62-year-old horseman from Sweden who is making his mark on North American trotting as Ambassador Hanover rallied from last to get third, giving Svanstedt a 1-3 finish. Since arriv- ing in the U.S. in 2014, Svanst- edt’s stable has earned over $30 million in purses. Captain Corey paid $4.60, $3.20 and $2.80 as the 13-10 favorite. Spy Booth, the longest shot in the race at 55-1, returned $28.40 and $14.60. Ambassador Hanover paid $13.60. In the $500,000 Hambleto- nian Oaks, Bella Bellini came from mid-pack on the back- stretch, advanced three-wide around the final turn, and stormed home to victory in 1:52.1. Iteration finished second, 2-1/2 lengths behind, and Contested Hanover was third. Dexter Dunn (Allentown, NJ) drove Bella Bellini for trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman (Al- lentown, NJ) and breeder-owner David McDuffee. It was Dunn’s first Oaks triumph and third for Norman, who won with Personal Style in 2012 and Bee AMagi- cian in 2013. McDuffee was part of the Bee AMagician ownership group. With the Oaks win, Bella Bellini pushed her career earn- ings to $386,983. Remember...tell our advertisers you found them in East Coast Equestrian!