by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Newsroom Senior Correspondent

John Campbell landed in Stockholm at 12 noon local time on Tuesday (Aug. 19), where on Wednesday evening (Aug. 20) he will race in the show race Ahlsell Legends at Solvalla against some of Europe’s most winning harness drivers. He will take on the likes of Heinz Wewering, Stig H. Johansson and Berndt Lindstedt.

However, before that, he will have the opportunity to meet and greet the 30-year old champion trotter, Mack Lobell, with whom Campbell not only won the Hambletonian, but also the Elitlopp at Solvalla. That was back in 1988.

In 1996 Campbell returned to Solvalla, where he won an elimination in the Elitlopp with Triple T Storm, who finished fifth in the final.

Campbell shared some memories of Mack Lobell with the Swedish marketing company, Kanal 75.

Campbell said, “Mack Lobell had a fantastic flying gait and was ahead of his time. He was a wonderful horse to handle and showed his talent already as a 2-year-old, and after our win in the Elitlopp, he continued to race at the top level in Europe for several years. He’s a horse who has meant a lot to me.”

After Mack Lobell was retired from stud duties, he began to live as a pensioner at the Menhammar Stud, owned by Hambletonian Society director Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg.