by Perry Lefko, for the Breeders Crown
Cranbury, NJ — Trainer Per Henriksen is old enough to know that you’re never too old to take a shot in the Breeders Crown. The 70-year-old native of Norway, who is based out of Norwood, Ontario, is back in this year’s Breeders Crown presented by Mullinax Ford at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Saturday night (Oct. 29), seven years since he last raced in the championship event.
He sends out Muscle Hustle in the $500,000 3-year-old colt trot, a race stacked with some solid contenders, including Bar Hopping, Southwind Frank and Marion Marauder, each of whom has won some prominent stakes races this season.
Muscle Hustle has been a top-notch horse this season on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit, including setting a Canadian and OSS record on a five-eighths-mile track, banking almost $200,000 in 14 starts.
The horse was sent to Henriksen as a 2-year-old by Robert Bergh, Sweden’s top trainer, who was having some issues with the son of Muscle Mass. Henriksen is considered somewhat of a horse whisperer because of his ability to figure out the head cases. In the case of Muscle Hustle, Henriksen decided to put trotting hobbles on the colt early in his career.
This will be the last time Henriksen harnesses the colt, who is scheduled to be sent back to Sweden after the Breeders Crown.
“If I didn’t think my horse had a shot to win, I would not spend $7,500 to go in the race,” he said.
“It’s always a pleasure going back to the Breeders Crown when you have horses that you think are good enough to compete. I thought I had three that were good enough to compete, but I got one to the final and he qualified really good (with driver Chris Christoforou) and Chris said he’s as good as any of these horses with the right trip. We drew the five hole, which is good, so we’re optimistic.”
Henriksen has had 22 previous starters in the Breeders Crown for $1.2 million in earnings and has won three times, all in the 3-year-old filly trot: Expressway Hanover in 1993, Oolong in 1999 and Southwind Serena in 2007. Expressway Hanover and Oolong won at short prices, Southwind Serena at 50-1. She is notable for being Yannick Gingras’ first Crown win and is also the dam of the world champion and Breeders Crown freshman winner Mission Brief.
“Any time you can win a Breeders Crown it means a lot, there’s no doubt about that,” Henriksen said. “That’s something special.
“Yes, I’ll take a new owner if they pop up with a good horse, don’t misunderstand me. Not that I need it, that’s not the point. I’m 70 years old. I just don’t want to live in a tent when I’m done doing this.
“I just had a (physical) and the doctor said he couldn’t find anything wrong with me. He said, ‘Per, you’re like a 55-year-old — your heart rate, everything. You don’t have any aches or pains. You’re so lucky, you don’t know how lucky you are.’
“If I can win the Breeders Crown, it will be such a pleasure, most of all for the people around me who support me all the time — my owners, my support staff. It’s not going to change my lifestyle, let’s put it that way, but it’s a joy.
“It would mean a lot to me to win, especially with Robert Bergh. He’s my friend. I’ve sent horses to him in Sweden as 4-year-olds when I thought they were better off there than in North America.
“Muscle Hustle struggled with an allergic problem all summer and all fall. He was supposed to go to the Hambletonian and I thought I had a really good shot, but he got an allergy. We got him on some serum but it didn’t help him enough. I think this horse is good enough to go with any of them. If he’s 100 percent and on his game and gets the right trip, he can beat any of them.”
This has been an interesting year for Henriksen. He won the Ahlsells Invitational driver championship for legends of the sport in Sweden.
“That’s a sign that you’re getting old when you get invited to a legends’ race,” he quipped.
He also posted his 1,000th career training win in North America.
“It feels good (winning 1,000). At my age, everything feels good,” he said. “I had the two best 3-year-old trotting colts in Ontario this year with Muscle Hustle and Bee In Charge. I had another one, Blenheim, that was knocking on the door in the Grand Circuit. How often do you get a trio of 3-year-old trotting colts that can compete on the Grand Circuit? One won $300,000 and the other one about $200,000. I can’t complain.
“To get those kind of horses to train is just a pleasure. Two of those horses were ones that other people couldn’t get going and that gave me even more joy.”
Henriksen came to North America from Europe in the 1980s and won the 1986 Hambletonian with Nuclear Kosmos. He was voted the O’Brien Award for Horsemanship in Canada in 2009 when he won more than $1.49 million as a trainer — his third $1 million season in a row — and $620,000 as a driver.
He has been cutting back on his drives in the last two years, steering young horses to figure them out and then turning them over to catch drivers.
“I like to drive my 2-year-olds for awhile to take care of them,” he said. “In my opinion a horse is like a bar of soap. There’s only that many washes in it. If you use it too hard early, there’s nothing left at the end. Anybody can correct me if they think I’m wrong, but I think I can keep some of these horses trotting when they may break stride with catch drivers. I might not be able to make them go that fast. I might lose a fifth of a second, but most of the times you’re better off going a fifth of a second slower and keep them trotting.”
The complete field for the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt and gelding trot, with named drivers and trainers, is as follows:
1. Waitlifter K–Matt Kakaley–Andrew Harris
2. Marion Marauder–Scott Zeron–Paula Wellwood
3. Bar Hopping*–Tim Tetrick–Jimmy Takter
4. Sutton*–Andy Miller–Julie Miller
5. Muscle Hustle–Chris Christoforou–Per Henriksen
6. Double L Lindy–Ake Svanstedt–Ake Svanstedt
7. Love Matters–Brian Sears–Jimmy Takter
8. Winter Harbor–David Miller–Tony Alagna
9. Southwind Frank–Yannick Gingras–Ron Burke
10. Lagerfeld–David Miller–Jimmy Takter
AE1: Blenheim-John Campbell-Per Henriksen
AE2: Southern Cross–Ake Svanstedt- Ake Svanstedt
*Designates elimination winner
- Sutton is an upset winner; Bar Hopping is odds-on victor in Breeders Crown eliminations (Saturday, October 22, 2016)
Trained by Julie Miller, Sutton (Donato Hanover-I Wanted Wings) sat in the pocket before edging up the pylons to win at 6-1 in the first of two $25,000 eliminations for the Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt and gelding trot on Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Meadowlands in 1:54.2.
- Fields set for Breeders Crown finals (Sunday, October 23, 2016)
A full slate of elimination races on Saturday evening (Oct. 22) at the Meadowlands narrowed down the fields for next weekend’s $5.8 million Breeders Crown, presented by Mullinax Ford.
- Changes in routine get Lady Shadow back to the winner’s circle (Monday, October 24, 2016)
After looking like a mere shadow of herself two weeks ago, this lady appears to be back in form entering the $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace final Friday night at the Meadowlands. Lady Shadow, an O’Brien Award winner in Canada at ages 3 and 4, entered the Oct. 9 Allerage Mare Pace in Lexington with eight firsts and a second in her previous nine races before finishing eighth. After some tweaks by trainer Ron Adams, Lady Shadow rebounded last Friday to win her Breeders Crown Mare Pace elimination by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:48.4 over a track rated “good” because of rain.
- Alagna on Tori Hanover and his nine Breeders Crown finalists (Tuesday, October 25, 2016)
Tori Hanover began her career with a bang, but not in the best sense of the phrase.
- Breeders Crown 3-year-old colt pace is ‘most important race’ for Burke (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Ron Burke will send high-profile stars Hannelore Hanover and Southwind Frank into Breeders Crown action this weekend, but neither horse will be in the event the trainer considers the most important to his stable. Burke, who has 17 horses spread throughout nine of the dozen Breeders Crown races at the Meadowlands, considers Saturday’s $500,000 final for 3-year-old male pacers integral to a successful weekend. Burke has four horses in the event, led by one of last week’s elimination winners, Check Six.
- Bee A Magician seeks third Breeders Crown title on Friday (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Several months ago it might have seemed a long shot to see Bee A Magician in the Breeders Crown, but now that she’s there she is one of the favorites. Bee A Magician, who didn’t race competitively for nearly five months because of a tendon injury, is the 2-1 second choice in Friday’s (Oct. 28) $250,000 Breeders Crown Mare Trot at the Meadowlands. Hannelore Hanover, who has won 15 of 18 races this season, is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
- Smedshammer duo aim for Breeders Crown glory (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
Trond Smedshammer is going against his philosophy not once, but twice this week. So far, it seems to be working out. Smedshammer has qualified two Purple Haze Stables horses for the $600,000 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly trotters, as Chezatter and Hillarmbro will both compete in this Saturday’s final at the Meadowlands.
- Father-son team looks to zero in on Breeders Crown with Shamballa (Wednesday, October 26, 2016)
It’s been a great year for Rick and Scott Zeron and what would make it even better is winning a Breeders Crown race, something the father-and-son have yet to do in their illustrious careers.
- Downbythesesaside seeks to cap his stroll on the shore with a Crown (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Nearly any conditioner who bears the responsibility of preparing a world champion for what could be a defining moment in his career normally discusses the merits of his colt. In typical Brian Brown fashion, however, he reveals why Downbytheseaside may not be the horse posing for pictures in the Meadowlands winner’s circle on Saturday (Oct. 29) after his performance in the $600,000 Breeders Crown final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
- McIntosh and Campbell look for more Breeders Crown magic (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Forget about holiday protocol, Bob McIntosh is jumping right over Halloween and American Thanksgiving. “It will be a little bit of Christmas if we get the right trip,” said McIntosh, referring to his horse L A Delight in Saturday’s (Oct. 29) $500,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old female pacers at the Meadowlands.
- VIP Stable syndication flourishing (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
Pennsylvania Sire Stakes champion Giveitgasandgo is certainly creating his own VIP experience leading up to this weekend’s Breeders Crown. Trained by John Butenschoen, Giveitgasandgo had won seven straight races prior to finishing third in last week’s Breeders Crown eliminations, in which he qualified for the $600,000 2-year-old colt and gelding trot final this Saturday (Oct. 29) at the Meadowlands.
- Breeders Crown win would be sweet “revenge” for Durham (Thursday, October 27, 2016)
It is with a sense of emotion that Jeff Durham is going into the Breeders Crown for the first time following the passing of his father, who was instrumental in his career, earlier this month. His father, Jack, had been in failing health the last 10 years and passed away at the family home in Omemee, a couple hours east of Toronto ON. He was 71.
- “This is what it’s all about” (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Jimmy Takter needs few words to sum up tonight’s Breeders Crown Open Pace at the Meadowlands, which features a continuation of the rivalry between Takter’s Always B Miki and George Teague Jr.’s Wiggle It Jiggleit. “This,” Takter says, “is what it’s all about.”
- Sir John F may turn into Mr. Holland’s opus in Breeders Crown freshman trot (Friday, October 28, 2016)
Veteran trainer Herb Holland is happy to be a member of harness racing’s dream team.