The 100th Hambletonian has been completed, and one horse rose above the rest in dominant fashion. Nordic Catcher S and driver-trainer Ake Svanstedt put on a dramatic two-week display, first with a stellar wire-to-wire performance in his elimination, then taking the $1 million classic's top prize last Saturday (August 2) while employing a different style. The preliminary effort had some people on the fence, since the son of Six Pack won by a diminishing nose. That only inflated Nordic Catcher's value in the final as the colt proved to be more than a one-trick pony, disposing pace-setter Go Dog Go with a blistering first-over assault and easily holding off the top Melander-trained horses, with Super Chapter a well-beaten second. Those that expected horses to peak entering the final forgot that one had already reached the apex in Nordic Catcher S. Maryland, Maximus Mearas S and Super Chapter were no better the following week than they were in the elimination rounds and failed to threaten as Nordic Catcher S set an all-time Hambletonian standard with the 1:50 flat victory. Timing is critical, whether within races or in the real world, and what has become extremely apparent since Ake Svanstedt and his family arrived in this country is that he has an innate ability to get the most out of his horses on key days during the stakes season. While not all his horses win when the big money is on the line, a large number do rise to the occasion and their performances leave the competition in the dust. Veteran driver-trainer John Kopas was on hand at the Meadowlands on Saturday, a trip he and other horsemen from Ontario have made for the last 10 years, and he marveled at the accomplishment. "There's just no one better at prepping a horse for a big race than Ake," Kopas said. "The other Swedes (Melander and Wallin) can't come close." The reality of the Hambletonian is that predominantly only one horse can win, and while trainers may choose different paths to arrive at the Meadowlands on the first Saturday in August, only the winner will have made the perfect choices, while those left in his wake will be left to wonder if they could have done anything different to have met with better results. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Still, there is plenty of racing to come, and perhaps the second half of the season for sophomore male trotters will prove more compelling and more competitive than we have seen during the first half. Essentially, the gloves came off in the Hambletonian and now the significant races will come with trainers ill-concerned about the long game and more focused on the week-to-week action, with enough money to go around and enough talented sophomores to see the outcomes look quite different. Team Svanstedt did an impeccable job with the two horses that reached the Hambletonian final, with Gap Kronos S, his fourth-place finisher, closing ground as fast as or faster than any in the final quarter with Tim Tetrick at the controls. The Hambletonian is now in the rear-view mirror and what's ahead are significant races that will test the longevity of a horse's form over other racetracks under different conditions. While horses managed to avoid each other for a significant part of the early season stakes events, it's unlikely there will be as much side-stepping through the rest of the summer and fall seasons unless others opt for the lucrative Kentucky Sire Stakes program and abandon the Grand Circuit entirely. There's hope some form of renewal could take place in just a week's time with the Earl Beal Jr. Memorial's $300,000 main event on the August 16 Sun Stakes Saturday at Pocono. The five-eighths-mile track will pose a different obstacle to those that qualify for the top event, with all the Hambletonian finalists eligible. The Beal, with no eliminations and an open draw, could shake up the strategy and change the dynamics in style and substance, with horses' quickness more essential, and the ability to handle tighter turns put into play. It's hard to say which of the horses that raced in the Hambletonian will benefit. One horse that was un-placed in the Hambletonian could be a key player down the line, with Go Dog Go deserving of a mulligan. "I'm not worried," said Carter Pinske (Go Dog Go's trainer) when we spoke just an hour before the Hambletonian. "He's got post 10." Driver Todd McCarthy had no interest in attempting the impossible of passing nine horses in the stretch and jetted out with the son of Greenshoe to an instant lead. Go Dog Go cut a scorching 26 1/5 first quarter and marched to fractions of 54 2/5 and 1:22 4/5, paving the way while others methodically waited to attack. In the stretch, Go Dog Go would get passed, but he hardly gave up the fight, suggesting that Pinske had him prepped as well as could be expected, but he lost the war at the post draw. Go Dog Go's sophomore season began in June with a brilliant Pennsylvania Sire Stakes victory at Pocono, and there's plenty of reason to believe he'll appreciate a return to the five-eighths track if he's not burdened with another impossible draw. Super Chapter was a solid, if not distant, second in the Hambletonian, and it's fair to say that the stinging first quarter may have had a bit to do with his lack of sharper closing speed when the money was on the line. Super Chapter had been unbeaten going into the Hambletonian, and there's no reason to believe he can't bounce back. Maryland had a solid trip behind Nordic Catcher S and struggled to stay with him in the final eighth sprint. Last year's champion remains winless this year but will have plenty of time to rectify that if he's to regain the top spot. I was concerned heading into the Hambletonian that Maximus Mearas S would have enough of a foundation to contend. In just his third start of the year, the son of Chapter Seven couldn't gain any traction in the final quarter. If he's to be a player in this division, Maximus Mearas S will need to show more early speed than he has to date. Early-season star Emoticon Legacy has a shot at redemption should his connections chose Pocono as their next stop. The Goodtimes champion may be ideally suited for the smaller track. Looking past the Beal, the Canadian Trotting Classic on September 20 could be another pivotal race for this class and by then we should know whether Nordic Catcher S, the Hambletonian winner that hails from a Somebeachsomewhere-sired dam, is still the leader of the pack. It's a long season and I expect the plot to change numerous times before a divisional champion is declared.