by Dean A. Hoffman

Dean Hoffman

Columbus, OH — I spent much of Hambletonian Day shadowing the trio of foreign horses, which were kept in a quarantine section of the Meadowlands paddock.

The star of the day was clearly Donato Hanover, but my foreign boys didn’t fare too badly as Adrian Chip and Equinox Bi finished second in their races while Jaded jumped while in second place.

Adrian Chip was clearly in the spotlight because of his role in the big dance. Plus, he was a Hambo elimination heat winner and was owned in part by NHL hockey star Peter Forsberg.

It’s no secret that Adrian Chip’s trainer-driver Robert Bergh was not happy that his colt was kept in quarantine in the beastly hot summer weather. The colt’s normal routine has him outside every day and yet he wasn’t allowed that luxury prior to the Hambletonian.

“It’s been a very boring two weeks for him,” said Bergh. He also felt that the disruption cost the colt a little bit of his edge, but then added that Adrian Chip was a “professional” and travels well.

If all the fanfare over him bothered Adrian Chip, he never showed it. He stood majestically in the crossties while caretaker Katarina Ihrsen tended to his needs. As she walked him in a restricted area to give him some air, Adrian Chip looked around, more curious than nervous.

Adrian Chip warmed up wearing front shoes, but Ihrsen pulled them just before the Hambo final. He had also raced barefoot in winning his Hambo elim.

Bergh shook off his quarantine concerns to smile for photographers and joke with his fellow Swedes. But when time came to hook Adrian Chip to the sulky, Bergh had his game face on and was all business.

The other Hambo finalists were already in the front paddock when Adrian Chip stepped onto the track at the head of the stretch.

One prominent trainer sought me out and said, “It’s not fair that he got to stay back here while the others had to go to the front paddock,” he said. “That gives him an edge.”

I explained that Bergh had no choice. Quarantine rules dictated Adrian Chip’s separation from American horses and there were plenty of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and Meadowlands security personnel to enforce that rule.

Adrian Chip was no match for Donato in the final, but he picked up a nice $375,000 check for finishing second, not bad for a colt that had lost his edge, according to his trainer.

One horse that impressed me tremendously was Equinox Bi, the 45-1 Italian-owned invader that started from post 12 in the $300,000 Nat Ray. Predictably, he was outside all the way, but he closed like a rocket in the stretch to just miss by less than a length.

He’s Italian-bred, owned, and trained by Swede Jan Nordin, but his pedigree says “Made in America.” His sire Valley Boss Bi is a brother to Valley Victory and won a heat in the ’92 Hambletonian with Nordin driving. His dam is Personal Banner, a Royal Prestige mare best known for upsetting Moni Maker in the Breeders Crown in 1996.

When Swedish star Jaded broke stride in the Nat Ray, it was no surprise to his trainer Stefan Hultman.

“He races best when he’s in front or on the outside,” he says. “He’s not good when following horses. His gait is different then. We don’t know if he doesn’t like sand hitting him in the face or what.”

Driver Orjan Kihlstrom sent Jaded away quickly and he was parked past the quarter in a brisk :26.4. When Trevor Ritchie was determined to grab the lead with favored Majestic Son, Kihlstrom yielded. Jaded sat in a loose pocket into the turn, then signaled that he’d had enough by galloping.

That was a break for Corleone Kosmos, the ultimate Nat Ray winner. John Campbell braved him up by putting him on the back of Majestic Son for a while, then went past the tiring leader in the stretch.

The Hambletonian Society has worked hard to make this week an international trotting festival, and the presence of these three foreign horses — plus a multitude of European trotting devotees and journalists — added a true international flair to America’s greatest trotting classic.