While Ake Svanstedt is in the foreground as trainer of the third-highest earning stable of 2021, his wife Sarah Svanstedt plays a key role in making sure the operation is a success. A native of Sweden who came to the U.S. in 2013 with her husband, the 40-year-old horsewoman has been involved in the sport for three decades. After the completion of training one morning, Sarah took the time to chat about her journey in the sport, the life of training on the Grand Circuit and racing in general. Enjoy! How did you get started in harness racing? I started out pony riding at my neighbors. They also had trotters on the farm and one day I ended up on those trotters, I was maybe 10 years old. I was attached from then on doing the riding and the driving for that farm, [Lars -- Göran Söderberg] was a small trainer and still does it to this day. I think I have him to thank for having an open mind to allow a young girl to go behind big trotters. Was harness racing always going to be your profession? Yes. I went to high school for three years. In Europe you can combine harness racing with your regular school work. After that I worked for three big trainers before landing with my boss now. How did you and your boss/husband, trainer-driver Ake Svanstedt, meet? We've known each other since I was in school. We come from the same small city and our families have known each other and been in harness racing. We started seeing each other when I started working for him, maybe 2005 or 2006. It is hard to remember. Time goes by fast. What is the working relationship with Ake like? How do you split the work flow? I'm like his right hand in the organization. I deal with everything that involves horses connected to paperwork, caretakers, feed and organization of going to the races. I'm more of the one who is texting with the owners because he just likes to talk and I put the training schedules together. I do a lot of the things he doesn't have time to do so he can focus 100% on the training. When it is race time he doesn't have time to think about what horse goes into what paddock, what groom takes care of what horse, blacksmiths, veterinarians and all the stuff. I do that and I have three guys on my right hand to help me. So it is like having four second trainers. Does it bother you that he gets the credit on paper when you are playing such a vital role? No. We have done this so long that it doesn't bother me. Currently you and Ake are going back and forth from New Jersey to Florida to train babies. Does that take a toll on you and your family? The kids have grown up with it so they never complain. We go away but we come back and we go to Florida and spend some weekends together. It is basically only for four months from January to April. We work it out with Facetime and other options to talk. You also recently bought a farm in Kentucky. How will that play into the Svanstedt system? It is very exciting. It is a beautiful farm. I'm actually meeting Ake there when he comes up from Florida so we can work on the project of making it into our style. It is basically a move- in-ready barn but you still want your own touch on it. With more races coming up and horses needing to be stabled their longer than just two or three weeks, we need to have the peace of mind and do it our way with our routines for horses. It will be nice to have it more quiet because it is crowded at Red Mile when everyone is there. Hopefully it will work out good for the whole team and the business. You came here in 2013 from Sweden. More than eight years later, do you feel like an American now? No, I'm not an American and most likely I will never be. Sweden is home. Even when we go home for Christmas it is strange because you are home in a way but you want to go back to your own bed and your daily routine. I guess I live my life in America but I'm Swedish. What kind of car do you drive? Jeep Grand Cherokee. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? I'm a meat lover and I like Bordelaise sauce with every kind of potato option. For snack, Twix. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter What is your favorite track to race at? Why? In one way Red Mile, but we only go there for a short period, so I'd say The Meadowlands. It is a big track with a nice surface for the horses. The track guys work hard there to make it right for the horses. What is your favorite big event in racing? Why? The Elitlopp. The energy that comes from the Elitlopp with all of the people around the track and everyone is there for the whole weekend screaming, clapping hands and partying. Every race during the weekend is almost like the Elitlopp. What is your favorite thing to do outside of harness racing? Spending time with the kids, everything from playing with them to helping them with homework. I also spend a lot of time at the gym during the winter to catch up on healthy life. When summer comes there is not much time available because you are either tired or are trying to catch up on the work you missed the day before. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don't know? I'm a bad loser, but maybe some people know that already. I know you can't win all of the races, but you work so much and you have high expectations for the horses. When it doesn't work out, it can take me a half-race-day to move on. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Horse. You drove quite often in Sweden but have been limited to only 58 drives here. Do you see yourself driving more in the future? That is a tricky question because now we have Grand Circuit type horses and there are decisions that need to be made in seconds which could make the difference between winning and finishing fifth. Driving against those guys who drive 10-15 races a day, it is not fair for the owners, myself or the horses. You need to do that day-in and day-out to have the quick thinking to make the right moves. If we have horses in overnight races that need schooling or prepping for races coming up, that is when I drive, or if we can only find a random driver that we never use, then Ake may see that it is better for me to drive since I know the horses. You mentioned not liking to lose. Last year you went 0-for-16 as a driver, does that bother you? Yeah, it does. In some ways I'd like to go back to the amateur races but I don't feel like I have time because there is so much going on during raceday. How many horses do you have in the barn? 83. How many of those are 2-year-olds? 44. Do you see any standouts yet? It is too, too, too, too, too early to say. Ake drove Captain Corey to victory in the Hambletonian last year. How was that a different experience than his first Hambletonian win with Perfect Spirit? We won the Hambletonian for a second time, but it was nice to do it the right way rather than be second and placed first. Corey had some issues coming into the race, so to have him ready for the Hambo was a lot of talking, thinking and going over the horse. It was a big high for the two of us because we figured it out at the last minute. He made a break at Chester and a horse like that is not supposed to make a break. That is when it comes to the trainer. The horses can't talk so you have to figure them out. It was a special win. Ake has taken some criticism for his driving but also gotten accolades for smart drives like winning the Breeders Crown with Felicityshagwell S. How good of a driver is he? I think he is great. The only thing I think is maybe sometimes the other drivers have a hard time maybe figuring him out. It is different when you are a trainer and a driver. He knows his horses 101% when he are behind the gate, so even if someone thinks he can win a race, he knows in the first turn that this isn't the day that I can force him to do it. Maybe that day the horse isn't in race mode. Sometimes it is a big thing to be third rather than finish last because he over-raced a horse. Which horses are you most excited to race in 2022? Dancinginthedark M is a fast horse and I hope Ake can find the key to keep him from making breaks. Ecurie D obviously showed what he could do last year in just a couple of races and I'd like to see what he can do now that he's had time to acclimate. He's more at home now and his start-up goal is the Cutler [at The Meadowlands]. We had a nice 2-year-old named Justice that beaten in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final last year when he was sick. I also have high hopes for Coach K Hanover. What is the best advice you've ever gotten or given about harness racing? The best advice I have given and what I try to explain to my workers is horse care. A happy horse is a good horse. The best advice I've gotten is when I was driving races in Sweden and did very good. The trainer said that it is easy to go up but it is very hard to fall, meaning you can't have too high of expectations. We had a great year last year but you can't expect to produce every year without dips. What was your best moment in harness racing? Captain Corey winning the Hambletonian. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? I would start up a school program in different states that teaches about the sport, the horse, life as a caretaker, horse health, riding a horse, you name it. We need to cover everything that has to do with the care of the horse because our sport, businesses and horses are in big need of horse-educated people. In Sweden we have 15 schools that teach students these lessons as a normal part of high school. It is very popular, especially on the girl side. The program provides a short cut to work life after school to work with the horses. What can U.S. racing learn from Swedish racing? Promotion of the sport. I know the media is way bigger in Europe and there are good and bad things with media, but I think for people betting and sitting home now watching on a screen, more people need to work on promotion and presenting it better for young people and owners. They have a lot of different [camera] angles in Sweden, from the barn, to the track and out to the track. On the track is trickier because some drivers don't want to get a question right away. If you have a big favorite in Sweden and you lose they are right there asking you what you did, whether it was your fault and questioning how you can drive like that. That gives it more of a storyline like you are watching a show. The future is on the screen, on the phone or computers, so that is where you have to show off the sport. How do you view the future of harness racing? I think it is promising and I want to believe that it is promising. I hope that people will continue to bet on horses and owners will want to invest in horses. Without owners we don't have horses and without horses we don't have work to go to. If you weren't involved in harness racing, what would you be doing? I would be a hairdresser. Time for the stretch drive... Best Horse you ever saw: Muscle Hill is one of the best and I'm also so impressed with his babies. Lasix -- Yes or No?: No. Favorite TV Show?: Grey's Anatomy. Trotters or Pacers?: Trotters. We only have three babies that are pacers and one 3-year-old. In the fall we'll have a White Bliss baby that looks exactly like him. He's at Kentuckiana now. Everyone loves them unless you have to groom them. It is a lot of work to keep a white horse clean.