Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Lucas Wallin is on a Dan Patch roll.

One year after Wallin received the Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writers Association, the Wallin-trained Soiree Hanover was voted the best 2-year-old female trotter of 2023. The horse will be honored at USHWA’s Dan Patch Awards banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, Feb. 25 at Rosen Centre in Orlando.

“I couldn’t believe that (this could happen) when I started out,” said Wallin, who enjoyed a career year in wins and purses. “I’m so grateful and very happy for everyone, for me and for the horse this year. Without good horses you will not get there. You gotta have a lot of luck and a lot of good people around, that’s for sure.”

Trainer Lucas Wallin, pictured here with Rebuff, won the 2022 Rising Star Award. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

Wallin has established himself as one of the “good people” with another strong season. The Swede won 44 races and $1.72 million and hit the board a career-best 98 times in 198 starts. It was a strong follow-up to his previous award-winning year, and Wallin felt no extra pressure trying to live up to his recently anointed rising star status.

“When you’re in this sport it’s always pressure,” he said. “If you don’t deliver, you’re not gonna get new horses, that’s just reality. I don’t feel the pressure outside. I’m probably the person that puts the most pressure on myself, but after that award I didn’t put any more pressure on myself than before.”

Part of fighting off pressure is having a pleasant distraction, and Lucas has just that with his son Mason, who turned 1 in November. Already blessed to be amongst horses, Wallin now has Mason enhancing life at his New Egypt, N.J. stable.

“It’s only very, very positive,” he said. “We’re very happy we live here on the farm, which makes it very easy to see him between the trips. He comes out to the barn in the afternoon, so I have time to take him for a walk when I do work in the barn. It’s been very, very good. We have a lot of help from (wife) Mikaela’s parents, they live on the farm too. And Mikaela is probably the best mom I could ask for for my son. I’m very lucky.”

The only piece of bad luck the likable Wallin had last year was with his 3-year-olds. But he noted that there were no great expectations for them, so it wasn’t that disappointing.

“Two 3-year-olds did OK, but the rest were no good,” he said. “But we had a lot of nice 2-year-olds. We were very happy with the overall season. We had a new record for the purses, that’s been my goal to improve that every year.”

Asked if, aside from Soiree Hanover, any other horses or races stood out, the trainer said, “Not really. It was a lot of them that performed. That’s very important. It’s so important that you have one that delivers in the biggest ones, but it’s important that’s not the only one.”

Other Grand Circuit-winning horses for Lucas were 2-year-old female trotter One World, 2-year-old male trotter Mosquito, and 2-year-old female trotter The Moment. State-sired stakes-winners included 2-year-old female trotter Dolce Amara, 2-year-old male trotter Duke Of Walner, and 3-year-old male trotter Onion Gum.

“Going into this year we have a lot of nice horses that I think are not bad at all. We have a couple of them that showed enough last year; where maybe they were struggling with a couple of issues that I think we have under control now. We’re very excited this year.”

It’s easy to be excited with a returning Dan Patch Award winner in the stable.

Soiree Hanover was voted the best 2-year-old female trotter of 2023. Lisa photo.

Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the daughter of Walner-Spring Gala finished in the money nine out of 10 starts, winning six and earning $607,955. She won the $400,000 Jim Doherty Memorial and posted a career-best 1:53.1 at The Meadowlands to upset favored Chaparmbro in the $275,000 New Jersey Classic final. In the Classic, driver Tim Tetrick and Soiree Hanover rallied from eighth with less than a quarter-mile to go.

It was a typical effort for the Snogarps Gard Inc.-owned horse.

“That was our key maybe a little bit last year,” Wallin said. “In that last race (the Goldsmith Maid when she got passed in the stretch) it didn’t work out how we wanted. Now we know from the last race what to do this year. She really likes to pass horses. If it’s not her way she’s gonna tell you about it.”

Indeed, for Soiree Hanover the rules are simple.

“It’s a little bit her way,” Wallin said with a laugh. “Our groom has done a fantastic job with her. She has her routines and if she doesn’t follow her routine, she’s gonna let you know about it. Otherwise, on the track and everything she’s very professional. It’s more a little in the barn she can be a little grumpy. Otherwise, she’s very professional and easy to train.”

It seems as if being on the track brings out the best in the horse’s personality and ability.

“She had a lot of temper, but she showed real good speed,” Wallin said. “She was so easy going; she saved a lot of energy when she went. We took our time and the first time we took her to The Meadowlands to train her she showed really nice speed.

“We never really train speed on the farm. The first couple times you get a real feeling is when you take them to The Meadowlands and train them. She showed a lot of speed there that she could go. We gave her a lot of nice races from behind to pass horses.

“It was a feeling (early on) that she could be something special. I’m very happy they chose me as her trainer. They’re very good people to work for and she showed the first day we had her that she could really lift her legs.”

Wallin still considers past star Rebuff as his best horse so far but includes Soiree Hanover near the top of that list. He hasn’t set up a training plan yet for this year but assured that his team will train her as they do all 3-year-olds.

“She’s gonna let us know when she’s ready,” he said. “It’s so nice to work with these people, they don’t put any pressure on you. They don’t say ‘Let’s go there and there.’ She’s gonna let them know when she’s ready and where to put her. Of course, the Oaks is the main goal. I think she absolutely belongs there, that’s the main focus.”

Sponsorship opportunities for the star-studded Dan Patch Awards banquet can be procured from sponsorship chairman Shawn Wiles at swiles@rwcatskills.com. Advertisements in the souvenir journal can be arranged with journal chairman Kim Rinker at trotrink@aol.com. The advertising deadline is Jan. 31. For a journal advertising form, click here.

Tickets for the banquet can be obtained from ticket chairman Judy Davis-Wilson at zoe8874@aol.com or Liz Cheesman at Elizabeth.Cheesman@winbakfarm.com. For a ticket order form, click here.