From Hambletonian Day to the Sun Stakes, it’s an incredibly busy time of year for Svanstedt Stables.

by Debbie Little

Two weeks after an impressive performance on Hambletonian Day, the Svanstedt Stable is ready to add some more tallies to their win column on both sides of the border on Saturday (Aug. 17).

But before they look for another day in the “Sun,” at Pocono, and a night on the town, at Mohawk, Team Svanstedt took a few minutes to reflect on the last day of the Championship Meet at The Meadowlands.

For Ake Svanstedt and his wife, Sarah, the first Saturday in August was a busy one.

“We had 17 horses in total racing Saturday [on Hambletonian Day],” Sarah said. “So, you put the entries in and the sheet comes out and then you’re like, ‘Oh, boy, now we’re going to make this happen.’”

The expression “Team Svanstedt” should be taken literally when it comes to Ake and Sarah’s stable.

“I mean, it’s a great team behind us from everything, with the horses to get in detention, and shipping, and warm ups, and grooms that know when to be ready,” Sarah said. “The whole thing is a huge operation and it’s very fun that it works out so well as it does on those days. So, I can’t be more proud, and happy, about the people around us, too.”

They won almost half of the races they entered — five of 11 — on the “Greatest Day in Harness Racing,” including two with the second- and third-biggest purses on the card, the $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks and $282,000 John Cashman Memorial. They also won a division of the $240,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes, the fifth biggest purse on the 16-race program.

“I mean, you work with a plan for each single horse and you’re trying to peak them when they can and when it’s their best chance to make money,” Sarah said. “And like those ones, Slip Sliding [Away] and Upallnight [Hanover], that were in a little bit lower division, it’s their chance to show off on those days when they’re not in the biggest races. So, everything worked out by the plan.”

Even though she wasn’t driving on this particular card, Sarah still put in her share of miles.

“I was warming up everyone almost because [Ake] was in the winner’s circle or catching a breath between the races,” Sarah said. “I don’t know how many trips I went around there, but it was a lot.

“I know the horses as well as he does and if they don’t warm up the way they normally do, or are on a line, or it seems like their energy is not there, we have a conversation about how they warmed up, every one of them, after every race. I need to see the horse; how it hits the track that day.”

Sarah did admit to taking a short break from her warm ups to take her colors off for the Oaks.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to get changed because this can actually happen that we can win the Oaks,’” she said, adding with a laugh, “so I wanted to be fresh and clean.”

In addition to winning the Oaks with Warrawee Michelle, the Cashman with Jiggy Jog S, and the New Jersey Sire Stakes 2-year-old male trot with Nordic Catcher S, the Svanstedts won both divisions of the Continentalvictory with the aforementioned Upallnight Hanover and Slip Sliding Away.

When dealing with multiple entrants in the same race, it’s obviously impossible for Ake to drive them all and sometimes he doesn’t even get to choose.

Because the Svanstedts are co-owners on several of the horses that Ake trains, the rules dictate that he must drive one of his own. Which could be a little difficult for the competitive horseman since sometimes his own is not his best chance to win.

Three of the five Svanstedt victories contributed to the Hambletonian Day six-bagger for driver Dexter Dunn, including the one with Jiggy Jog S.

When asked if it bothers him that he’s not the one sitting behind “Jiggy,” Ake was pretty matter of fact.

“No, I’m getting used to it,” Ake said. “I want to drive the 2-year-olds because they can change from race to race. They don’t act the same every time. But when they are 3-year-olds, they are always the same in every race. Then it doesn’t matter as much, then they can have [catch] drivers.

“But I want to drive the 2-year-olds because I train them all and know them better and maybe need to teach them the right way.”

In the Cashman, Ake finished second driving Southwind Tyrion, who he co-owns.

“Dexter and Jiggy have been building this whole success story up together,” Sarah said. “He knows her and has been behind her in almost every start since she was 3. So, I mean, you can’t take away that fun and joy for any of the group or the horse or anything when you have her in the barn.

“I was watching [the Cashman]… and ‘Tyrion’ wasn’t that tiger behind the gate… So, I’m like, ‘Oh God, now he’s going to get nowhere,’ and then I could see that Jiggy was sitting on his back and that was the only thing, I was like, at least Jiggy will have a good ride out of this.

“And thank God, Tyrion did the race he did and then it’s Jiggy, that’s the winner. It’s great. But it’s tough when a horse does the race like Tyrion did. Normally, it’s not a very good ending and he fought his heart out, but it was her that was passing him, so I was fine with it.”

Ake did have two driving wins on the card with horses that he co-owns, including the top distaff prize, the Oaks with Warrawee Michelle. His other came with 2025 Hambletonian hopeful Nordic Catcher S.

“I mean, [Ake] loves to compete,” Sarah said, adding with a laugh, “and he’s the same kind of way when we’re training at home, too. Sometimes, it’s like, ‘Let’s race.’

“He loves to race and it’s also a joy when you know your own horse. You know how it has trained and if it has anything that can help to ride on the helmet longer than it maybe would have done with another driver. It’s just like you know your horses, and then it’s also fun to race them.”

This was the Svanstedts’ first Oaks victory after coming so close in 2023 with Bond, who was beaten a neck at the wire by Heaven Hanover. Although Nancy Takter won The Meadowlands training title for wins, Ake led all Big M trainers in money earned.

The Svanstedts have 13 entered to compete on Saturday, including four — Warrawee Michelle, Jiggy Jog S, Nordic Catcher S, and Slip Sliding Away — that won on Hambletonian Day. There are 10 entered on Sun Stakes Day at Pocono as well as three heading north for the William Wellwood eliminations at Mohawk.

Although their days are still plenty busy and probably won’t get any easier until after the Breeders Crown, the Svanstedts appreciate looking back on their big Hambletonian Day.

“It’s too much that day because it’s a new race, a new horse, a new warm up and it’s just rolling and then when the day is over, you’re like smashed, you just want to basically go home because you’re so exhausted,” Sarah said. “So, we were sitting on Sunday (Aug. 4), eating with some friends and enjoyed it. Yeah, it was for sure, an amazing day.”