by Anna Svensson and Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — The last time Sweden’s Robert Bergh drove in the States, he and Adrian Chip chased Donato Hanover to second-place finishes in the Hambletonian and World Trotting Derby.

Bergh is back, this time with Production in Saturday’s eliminations for the C$1 million Canadian Trotting Classic, where he will face undefeated Hambletonian champ Deweycheatumnhowe. Bergh bought the colt last month from Kelly O’Donnell for an undisclosed amount.

USTA photo

Robert Bergh

“I like American horses, so I buy some every once in a while,” said Bergh, who drove Production to a third-place finish in a qualifier at Harrah’s Chester on August 26. “He felt really good. He has not impressed me one bit in his training miles, so it was quite interesting to go qualify him. He was really nice then, and he seems to be a good racehorse. He races better than he trains, I hope.”

Production (Broadway Hall-Vintage Chip) has won nine of 16 career starts and earned $142,070. He has never finished off the board and was third in last year’s Pennsylvania Sires Stakes final, behind Lear Jetta and Lucky Jim. The colt was a $7,000 yearling purchase; O’Donnell bought the horse in May 2007.

In August last year, Production shattered the track record for 2-year-old colts at The Meadows by winning in 1:56.3, breaking the mark of 1:58 shared by Uncle Vernon and Mr Pine Chip.

“He was as solid and nice gaited a trotter as you would see,” O’Donnell said. “He’s a nice horse. He’s very laid back. For a stud horse, he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’ll make a nice horse for them.”

Production will start from post one in his Canadian Trotting Classic elim. Deweycheatumnhowe, who has won all 17 of his lifetime starts and is coming off a 1:50.4 triumph in the World Trotting Derby, is next to Production. The rest of the field in post order is Nureyev, McCarron, DiManggio, Atomic Hall, and Hambletonian runner-up Crazed. The top five will advance to the September 13 final.

“It’s a tough heat, but I got the rail which is good,” Bergh said. “It would be great if we can make the final. With that post, I think there is a chance. I haven’t seen the other horses except for the ones in the Hambletonian. I’ve only seen Deweycheatumnhowe on TV; he looks like a big bear.”

Bergh plans to keep Production in North America until heading to Italy for the Orsi Mangelli Trot.

“There are no other stakes for him after this (Canadian Trotting Classic), so I’ll race him in overnights,” Bergh said. “My thought is that he’ll stay around a while until it’s time to go to Orsi Mangelli in November. Then he’ll go home (to Sweden) after that.”

Saturday’s other Canadian Trotting Classic elim features, in post order: Tacs Delight, Velocity Hall, Save My Ashes, B Strike Three, Celebrity Secret, Napoleon, and Clerk Magistrate.