We’re based near Malmo, and provide one central location for distribution of frozen semen across . Among our portfolio of stallions that we handle are Angus Hall, Broadway Hall, Duke Of York, Kadabra, Muscles Yankee and Revenue S. If you want to tap into the lucrative Offspring Management AB is Europe’s largest provider European market talk to us. of breeding services for the Standardbred industry.

Anders Lindfors YOUR EUROPEAN CONNECTION Tel: 011 46 402 989 10 \Fax: 011 46 401 824 55 \Email: [email protected] \www.offspringab.com

3:09:21 PM

THE EUROPEAN VIEW ~ By Klaus Koch

FROM DESPAIR TO GLORY Stefan Hultman nearly gave up the racing game but persevered and today may have the best trotter in the world in his barn in addition to a reputation as an accomplished horseman.

eople love to hear about those preferred to stay in the barn area to join Photo by Monica Thors who have climbed from obscurity the other youngsters helping out trainers. Klaus Koch Pto fame. One of the most endear- “As a young kid I loved being around ing stories of that nature in animals. Being with horses beat every- that plan (until 10 years later) which led Ste- is that of Stefan Hultman, one of the lead- thing and there was no doubt in my heart fan to return home after less than a year but ing European trainers perhaps best known as to what I wanted to dedicate my life in that time he built up an appreciation for for the horses From Above, Triton Sund to,” Hultman recalls. both in terms of the lifestyle and their and Maharajah. His is a story that touches He admitted that he was determined process for racing horses. the heart. to one day be as big as Stig Johansson, the Back in Sweden, his father had by In many cases the typical location of a long standing champion trainer in Sweden. now purchased a farm where he worked harness racetrack is in the suburb of a At the age of 15 he left school and the first offspring of Kentucky Girl, Lina large city. The track is surrounded by villas took his first job with a professional Star and Kenvil. There was no track at the and light industry and historically has trainer at Solvalla. He was a curious sort farm so the Hultmans experimented. In a attracted a lot of young fans, kids coming which is why he shifted to work with a nearby construction area they found a to the track because of their curiosity of number of different horsemen before he well suited road running upwards from the harness racing atmosphere. entered trainers’ school. This is an oddity the area from where the gravel and rocks Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm has as most apprentices remain with the same were taken. That produced Stefan’s for- such a location and Hultman was one of trainer for several years but Stefan was mula for training horses uphill. those youngsters captivated by the horses. not like most. By now Stefan had decided he He was born in the suburb of Hud- One of the people he worked for was wanted to become a public trainer. He was dinge. When he was eight his father Ove Soren Nordin who was actually based in advised by Karl Erik Nilsson, who is now bought a trotting filly named Kentucky the United States at the time. Soren and his the head of the racing commission at Girl who was the first foal from Kentucky two sons, Jan and Ulf, who was then based Solvalla, to contact a large Stockholm Fibber who finished second in the 1969 in Paris, wanted to open a stable in Italy. based owner who had his own farm but Roosevelt International Trot. Having just turned 20 Stefan was excited to was now looking for a trainer. That first contact with horses hit Hult- be asked if he would go to Milan in order “I just went out to the farm which man almost immediately. When his father to start building a barn there. was 25 kilometres from Solvalla and met would go to the grandstand, young Stefan In the end the Nordins did not fulfill the man Bo Ericson. I said I wanted to train

The Harness Edge • January 2010 THE EUROPEAN VIEW ~ By Klaus Koch Photo by kanal75 photo

his horses along with other ones that I While Hultman had plenty of reason to celebrate From Above's Elitlopp vic- could get to train.” tory he may have a far better animal in the barn this year with Maharajah. Whatever he said registered because This five-year-old son of Viking Kronos was declared by Jean-Pierre Dubois to Ericson gave him the opportunity at the be the greatest trotter he had seen in his lifetime. The horse has won 14 of Rabo Stable and within a short period of 19 starts with career winnings of just over $1 million. time the barn grew to 70 horses. He explains that things went well but in time he wanted more independence. At Sweden meant starting all over again. The hood friend was dealing with vegetables the age of 24 he left and took a role with horses he had previously were all now and he offered Stefan a job which forced the Fituna Stud located south of Stock- with other trainers with the exception of him to be present at four in the morning. holm. Reality soon set in and he realized one, Sugar Bell. In the afternoon he trained his horse and how comforting it was to have the security I was the racing secretary at Solvalla shod others before returning home at of a major owner like Bo Ericson. It was at that time and I helped Stefan obtain a nine at night. now a financial struggle which was all the few stalls in our stabling area to get He then obtained a couple horses more difficult as he had married his wife restarted. My superior, the CEO was not as from his father and one from Hans Carina and had two children. positive about the situation as I. He asked Sundqvist, who later became the owner of Suddenly though, in 1994 an offer Stefan if he would not be better suited for Hultman’s Elitlopp winner From Above came from Italy. Given his past experience another job instead of continuing to try to and a large number of horses now in the and the lure of living in Tuscany he could train horses. I have to wonder if he is still Hultman stable. not refuse. He loved it but his family did of that opinion today after Stefan’s Elit- “Several months after my return from not so Carina returned to Sweden with the lopp win and several Group 1 stake wins Italy someone recommended me to the two children, one of which was ready to later? Menhammer Stud owned by Margareta begin school. Stefan stayed on but it was “I was in deep despair. I had no Kleberg for blacksmith work of their a strain missing his family and living in two money, no job but a family to feed. The broodmares. I took the job and later shod countries was costly to say the least. horse I started with of course could not other horses at the farm and was eventu- The following year he elected to supply me with what we needed to live.” ally allowed to move out to the premises return to Sweden but by his own admis- In order to be able to feed his family, on the island of Ekero with my few horses sion was virtually broke. Returning to Stefan had to find another job. A child- in a training barn. Mr. Kleberg offered me

January 2010 • The Harness Edge four yearlings to break in. From that time it has steadily improved for me,” he says. Today 14 years later, the Hultman Stable has won the Elitlopp, two Swedish Derbies for four-year-olds, two Swedish Futurities (Criterium for three-year-olds), Prix de (in a world record with Naglo), Grand Prix de l’UET (European Trotting Derby), the Spring Championship (for four-year-olds and known as the Swedish Hambletonian) and many other Group 1 races. “The Elitlopp win with From Above was the biggest by far. To win the race you have been watching since childhood from the famous open grandstand at Solvalla (the E section) together with more than 30,0000 other fans beats everything,” he admits. Hultman is known as a very sensitive person prone to crying which makes him a favourite among the fans. Photo by kanal75 photo “In my early days as a trainer I drove all the horses in the races myself but now I use catch drivers. I have gained too much Hultman promised to bare his stomach if From Above won the Elitlopp. When his dream of winning Sweden's greatest race was achieved he had no problem weight and today’s drivers are athletes following through. and do much better than I ever did.” This puts him on the sidelines where the combination of nervousness, expec- Nat Ray at the Meadowlands. Hultman credits part of his success to tations and adrenaline pushes the “It was fantastic. I was there at the luck. extremely engaging horseman close to Big M shaking hands with people like John “To have the privilege of receiving a tears or when he wins a great demon- Campbell, warming up in front of the number of choice yearlings every fall stration of joy. grandstand, I could not believe it was owned by patient and realistic people is a Before the 2003 Elitlopp Hultman true,” he gushes. trainer’s blessing. To have the horse many promised to show his stomach to the E-sec- “But another thing I could not to believe to be the best in Sweden tion grandstand audience if the horse believe was the restrictive quarantine. (Maharajah)…maybe the world is just should win. After From Above won, Hult- Our horses were forced to remain in con- magnificent,” he says. man’s victory parade became one of the crete barns at the Meadowlands and we Hultman has now demonstrated that more spectacular in the history of the race. could only jog in the afternoon which by he knows how to prepare a star and all of But there have been disasters as well. then was almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit Sweden is anxious to see what the horse “Three years ago my horse Jocose with the baking sun. That was not fair to will achieve this year as a five-year-old. won the European Trotting Derby in the horses or the Swedish owners who had And another trip to Canada by Hultman is France but was tested positive with a pro- paid dearly to go there. I’m afraid that I’ll very possible. hibited substance and was disqualified. I never return under the same circum- All of this is a long way from 14 years was devastated, cut the whole world away stance.” ago when Stefan Hultman looked like a and was determined to stop training In contrast he was very pleased with man with a past but a very questionable horses,” he declares. last year’s trip to Mohawk Racetrack. future. ᰫ “I had to be talked into continuing, “Canada was a pleasant surprise last but it was closer to the end than anybody year. I brought Triton Sund for the Maple Till next time, can imagine.” Leaf Trot and even though the horse was Klaus Koch Last fall he resurfaced in France and in quarantine at the track, it was much won the same race with Maharajah. more humane and less bureaucratic. We Like many Swedes, Hultman dreamt did not do well in the race but I hope to Klaus Koch is one of Scandinavia’s of racing in North America and has done it have a horse to return there now that the leading racing administrators and is per- twice. Maple Leaf is becoming more interna- haps best known for his former role as Two years ago he took Jaded to the tional.” director of racing at Solvalla Racetrack.

The Harness Edge • January 2010