by Debbie Little

It’s a common quandary at the end of the year: To race or not to race?

For Courant Inc’s Anders Ström, majority co-owner of 2-year-old male trotting sensation Maryland, it wasn’t a tough decision to race in the Kindergarten Classic final on Saturday (Nov. 9) at The Meadowlands.

“After the Mohawk Million win, Maryland had a month’s break with only one qualifier since he had a bye into the Breeders Crown final,” Ström said. “With the BC win under his belt, his form is sustained or even better. This was at least how [trainer] Marcus [Melander] described his workouts during the last week.

“So, we think it’s fair to race him on Saturday rather than call it a season. I think he will go off a big favorite and am willing to take the chance. No matter what, he will have his winter holiday after this.”

It has been quite an incredible year with Maryland for Ström and partners PCW Racing LLC (Peter Weisberg), Holly Lane Stud East LTD (Melander), and SStewartRThorn Stable (Steve Stewart and Robin Thörn).

The colt, then known as Charlie K Hanover, was bought for $475,000 at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

Ström was unable to attend the sale in person, so Melander served as his boots on the ground.

“It was our No. 1 in the book since we liked the dam Crucial a lot and were underbidder on her,” Ström said. “Obviously, I am also a big fan of Chapter Seven, so we kept a close eye on this colt. When we can’t attend in person, we still do the work on conformation, etc. with the help of others, especially Marcus Melander.”

Although it could seem like a bargain since the colt has earned slightly over $1.145 million — the most in North America for 2024 — with a record of 5-1-1 in eight starts, the final bid was more than Ström said he was looking to spend.

“I don’t remember exactly what the original limit was but we exceeded that when the horse was up in the ring,” Ström said.

Although Ström does not have partners on some of his horses, he had some in mind for this colt.

“In the midst of bidding, Melander said he could take a piece since he liked the horse so much,” Ström said. “We have a long-standing relationship with the Stewarts [Steve and Cindy], so I asked them and our accountant Peter Weisberg was also interested in a piece, so I suggested him, too. There is also a breeder from our home town, Sala, in Sweden, Robin Thörn, participating on a piece, which is nice.

“Generally, I always own my fillies 100 per cent and have partners on one-to-two colts per year. I have developed an interest in the thoroughbreds and there, it is much more common to have partnerships, so I actually don’t mind, especially if the object is expensive and you want to share some risk. But it is very important to have partners that are aligned with the strategy we have.”

The majority of Ström’s horses race in Europe and therefore a name change for Charlie K Hanover was necessary.

“I like to follow my naming system with roughly 250 horses to keep track of, and Steve Stewart came up with the good compromise and name Maryland,” Ström said. “My, or actually my son’s, original proposal Mandalorian had been refused and then it was easy to go with Maryland instead. As always, if the horse becomes good, the name becomes great!”

Ström also suggested Metallica, Megadeath and Metalhead.

“It doesn’t matter but sometimes a music related name sounds nice,” Ström said.

According to Steve, a naming discussion took place amongst the owners on WhatsApp in January.

“I wrote, ‘One thought, but it goes against the rock band theme, name him Maryland,’” Steve said. “’My thought is Hanover named him Charlie K Hanover, Charlie K after a great man, Charlie Keller, of Yankeeland Farms fame. I don’t have to list all the great Yankee-named horses the farm is responsible for. Maryland is the state Charlie Keller [had Yankeeland Farms].

“I don’t even know if [Maryland] is available, but my 10 per cent vote is to try and connect the future star to a great name that Hanover Shoe Farms I’m sure saved for what they hope is a great horse. Also, if bad idea, I will be quiet.’ And then Anders wrote, ‘Great idea.’”

Steve, along with his wife Cindy, were friends with Charlie Keller, and looking back at that January text conversation, he recognized that it was pretty presumptuous to use the phrase future star, but apparently it ended up being accurate.

When they checked on the availability of the name, there was a Maryland by Peter The Great born in 1912, but when Weisberg checked, the name was available.

“My feeling was, it was important if you’re going to take away Charlie K Hanover to try to attempt to leave some connection to Charlie Keller,” Steve said. “And naming him Maryland accomplished it, at least in my mind, being that he was from Maryland.

“So, I thought it was very appropriate that it worked out that now he’s a top, top horse and there’s still a connection to, instead of a rock band name which starts with an M, Charlie Keller in one form.”

Steve jokingly said when Anders approached him about taking a piece of Maryland, he felt it was more like an offer he couldn’t refuse, which he is so thankful for.

Owning horses is not something that Steve and Cindy, owners of Kentucky’s Hunterton Farm, generally would do. In fact, Steve said he could probably count on one hand the number of top horses he’s owned a piece of.

So, when Ström approached the Stewarts, had he asked in a more traditional way, they probably would have said no.

“And I made the joke and I’ve told [Ström] this, I said ‘Cindy, when you write that check for $47,500 for 10 per cent of a yearling, you can take that check and throw it right out the window because what’s the chances? So, you know, it’s a dream come true.

“To me, he’s more than just a top 2-year-old the way he races and how. Because normally you have a 2-year-old that is winning and everybody’s wowing and then everybody will always say, ‘Well, let’s see what he does when somebody looks him in the eye,’ right? And nobody can say that about Maryland.

“He put away Go Dog Go at the top of the stretch [in the Breeders Crown final] because to me it was like we’re beat, because a normal horse says, ‘Okay, I’m done, you caught me, you kind of put a nose in front of me at the top of the stretch.’

“But that’s just the way he races, he just digs in and says, ‘No, you’re not going to beat me.’ And I don’t know if you’ve seen him up close, but gosh, what a beautiful horse he is. You know, he’s pretty much got it all.”

Maryland drew post 2 in race 8, the Kindergarten Classic for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters, on Saturday night and is listed as the 3-5 morning-line favorite.