Harness: Swandre The Giant is towering over his competition

It was a difficult decision but all along trainer-driver Brandon Bates knew what was best for Swandre The Giant. The $17,000 yearling purchase by Swan For All was nominated and sustained to the Peter Haughton Memorial, with trials contested on July 27 at The Meadowlands.

Give credit to trainer Anthony MacDonald, who guided the freshman colt through his early lessons before shipping him to Bates in early June, for keeping those payments going. Yet Bates and the owners of Swandre The Giant, now unbeaten in four career starts, elected to stay in Indiana and qualify for rich stakes action before leaving the state.

“He’s the best horse I’ve ever sat behind,” said Bates of Swandre The Giant. “What concerned me is having to ship him to New Jersey and back two consecutive weeks. It’s not that I don’t think he would be all right with that, but it’s a lot to ask right now.”

For Bates, the idea is to protect the colt as best as possible and hopefully have him ready for major action later in the season. “He’s eligible to the William Wellwood and the Breeders Crown,” said Bates. “Right now I’m looking at those races potentially.”

With so much of the trotting action taking place in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ontario, very often the focus is on baby-race action in those locales. Yet as we’ve seen over the last few years, the Indiana Sire Stakes program has gained plenty of traction both on the pacing and trotting side and the level of ability has been impressive.

“I won in 1:55 3/5 with him last week (July 14),” said Bates. “I know what this will sound like but I’m pretty sure he could have gone in (1):53 and change.”

Bates, however, was not looking to showboat in a $20,000 preliminary leg on Tuesday (July 24). He cut a very well-rated mile in 1:55 4/5 concluding with a 27 1/5 final quarter while completely under wraps. It was the kind of imposing performance that makes you think twice before trying to go after him and perhaps that’s what Bates would like to see.

When Swandre The Giant appeared in June in Indiana, Bates didn’t know what to think initially. According to the trainer, MacDonald had liked the horse somewhat but didn’t suggest that he was a standout. “Anthony trains a lot down and makes a lot of them eligible to the bigger races. That’s his thing,” said Bates.

With the move from Canada, Bates had to make some changes. “He was shod for the Canadian winter when he came down here and that’s not going to work over this track (Hoosier Park),” said Bates. “I had some boots on him but we’ve taken them off.”

It was rather early in June when Bates trained Swandre The Giant that he made the assessment that this one was different and could indeed be rather special. “I trained him a mile in 2:05 and we got to the half in 1:08,” said Bates. “He came a final half in 57 (seconds) and just did it so easily.”

It was a few weeks later when Bates would qualify Swandre The Giant for the first time (June 23) at Hoosier that he would witness something that revealed more about the character of his horse. “He won the qualifier pretty easily,” said Bates, recalling the 2:00 3/5 mile. “It was a long day of qualifiers and I had other drives before I was able to go back to the paddock. When I got to his stall he was lying down asleep.” It was a sign of how well the colt can relax, as if he’d already completely recovered from the race mile.

A bargain basement yearling purchase by MacDonald for owners Panic Stable LLC (Paul Gange), Terry Ehardt, Brian Hochman and Richard Barone from the Indiana Sale, Swandre The Giant’s price tag was somewhat surprising. “We looked at him at the sale,” said Bates. “You know the prices can go sky high for some of these horses. I think when it came to him he was a little coarse and probably just going through an awkward growth period.”

Swandre The Giant is the third foal from Adagio, a daughter of Valley Victor that won the Kentucky Sire Stakes sophomore championship final in 2011 at The Red Mile. She retired with more than $216K in earnings. Adagio had been bred twice to Donato Hanover and her first two foals were fillies that didn’t make the races.

While it may seem ironic to some that the mare didn’t click with Donato Hanover, a son of Andover Hall, but did click with Swan For All, also a son of Andover Hall, it’s probably just a sign of the times and an indicator that top horses can come from a wide range of stallions. Swan For All (sire of 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover) has obvious credentials.

While many of the leading freshman trotters will see action in the Peter Haughton on Hambletonian Day, Swandre The Giant will get some time off between Tuesday’s (July 31) $75,000 Indiana Sire Stakes final (race 8) and the next leg on August 18. Considering just how fast freshmen have been blazing the Meadowlands oval this summer, there’s a good chance a record may be set in the Haughton. At the same time, it’s a very long season and Indiana-breds have proven to be very good horses come Breeders Crown time.

The Swandre The Giant ownership group have participated in Anthony MacDonald’s group stables, but for this colt they are the sole owners and Bates will handle the assignment going forward. Right now his plan is letter perfect as is the trotting colt that apparently doesn’t resemble his namesake. “I would say he’s more of an average sized horse,” said Bates.

As of now Swandre The Giant is more like his namesake in the way he’s put up victories and perhaps there’s enough room to dream that if that continues the 2019 Hambletonian is a possibility.