Harness: Special Way, Alrajah One prepared for stakes returns

When it comes to racing, few things are worse than having potentially one of the best horses in the sport and seeing them miss time. Such was the case with the nearly-unbeaten Special Way as she got sidetracked on her road to the Hambletonian or Oaks.

Perfect in three starts this year and owner of a 1:51 4/5 victory in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final for 3-year-old trotting fillies, Special Way was potentially headed for greatness if she wasn't already placed in that stratosphere following a Dan Patch-winning season as a 2-year-old when she won seven of nine starts and earned $697,475. The bad news was that the daughter of Walner-Special Hill would miss a few major Grand Circuit stakes races due to a lingering bone infection. The good news is she was back on the track Wednesday morning to qualify at Pocono Downs at Mohegan Pennsylvania.

"She's back," said driver/trainer Ake Svanstedt prior to the Pocono qualifying mile. "We haven't trained her very fast, but she trained well on the deep track. The qualifier is her first fast training, and of course she'll need that mile and maybe another race to be on top of her game."

The qualifier was nothing short of the perfection everyone has come to expect from Special Way. She sat the pocket through soft early fractions of 29 2/5 and 58 3/5 before taking command and winning by more than eight lengths in 1:53 3/5 with a 27-second final quarter to put a bow on the mile.

With a fresh line under her belt, Special Way will head west for her first pari-mutuel race on September 4 at The Red Mile.

"After the qualifier we are going to Lexington for the last round of Sire Stakes to qualify for the final," said Svanstedt, who was confident the filly, owned and bred by Brittany Farms LLC., Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld, would make the rich $400,000 final on September 17. "There are not that many horses, so even if she finishes last she can be in the final."

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For her career Special Way has 10 wins in 12 career starts with earnings of $847,475. There are still a number of major stakes remaining for the 3-year-old, including the Kentucky Filly Futurity at The Red Mile and Breeders Crown at Harrah's Hoosier Park.

Special Way isn't the only Svanstedt Stable star that was supposed to return to the track this week. Alrajah One, perfect in three starts in 2022, all versus stakes company, was entered in the Maple Leaf Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, but eliminations were not necessary as the race drew only eight starters. He'll go in the C$500Kplus final on September 2 and be joined by Asteroid, Fashion Frenzie, It's Academic, Logan Park, Rattle My Cage, Sermon and Venerate. It's Academic, Venerate and Sermon qualified Thursday morning (Aug. 24) at The Meadowlands to prepare for the final.

Alrajah One had his 2022 season cut short due to a suspensory injury and wasn't able to make his first qualifier of the year until July 22 at the Meadowlands (second - timed in 1:52 2/5). The Scuderia My Horse Inc.-owned 7-year-old got another "test" mile at Pocono on August 9, winning in 1:52 2/5, and has been pronounced ready for action by Svanstedt.

"He qualified here good and he felt like when he was on top [in 2022], so I hope he is going to be good now," said Svanstedt, who was very happy knowing both horses would be back in action. "These are top horses, so of course I'm excited to see what they can do."

The Svanstedt barn has been on quite a tear since battling some sickness in mid-July. From August 10 to 20 the stable has won 12 of 23 starts, including two Grand Circuit races and Sire Stakes in multiple states.