Harness: Trainer Per Engblom switched gears to perfection in 2022

After an impressive 2022 campaign, trainer Per Engblom can now be labeled an "overnight success." Having spent much of his training career in the U.S. as the top assistant to Hall of Fame conditioner Jimmy Takter, Engblom set out on his own a couple of years back following Takter's retirement. Initially the stable concentrated on 2 and 3-year-olds with a lean towards trotters.

Last year the stable drifted dramatically away from its inception, and Engblom and his staff took the challenge and ran with it.

"My owners were looking for more racehorses," said Engblom.

The shift to a stable with minimal starts for just 2- and 3-year olds and an occasional older open performer was dramatic, and the impact it made on the sport in 2022 was most impressive. When Engblom took over part of the Takter stable upon his retirement, he sent just 631 horses to post in the years 2019-20. Just two years later the numbers had changed drastically, with Engblom sending out 906 starters and 180 finding the winner's circle.

At Harrah's Philadelphia where the meet recently concluded, Engblom did what would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, he captured the training title with 75 wins, and that was 11 more than the sport's winningest trainer Ron Burke had during the same time frame. Burke even sent out 21 more starters.

"I've got a great staff," Engblom said in describing how he's met the challenge of overnight racing. "It's what the owners wanted and that's the most important part."

Engblom's stable also had a strong showing at Yonkers in 2022, winning 55 times over the half-mile oval and ranking him 12th against many horsemen that rely heavily on claimers. Earnings for Engblom's horses at Yonkers were more than $977K alone, about a third of the stable's $2.928 million record-setting campaign.

"We've got 60 horses now," said Engblom, who operates out of Magical Acres. "I've got just nine babies."

The shift in power may make Engblom a little less noticeable on the Grand Circuit, but it is a testament to his ability to start over and prove himself, not just against trainers but more importantly among his owners.

"It's been great," Engblom said. "I started out where people were giving me just one horse to train and that was fine. Now those same people are buying multiple horses and sending them to me."

A recent acquisition in the stable, Mind Hunter, made a powerful statement in his 2023 debut at the Meadowlands on January 7. It was just his second start for Engblom, with the first being a solid score at Yonkers in mid-December before the track closed for a brief hiatus.

Jason Bartlett guided Mind Hunter to a 1:51 career-best clocking, with the Captaintreacherous-sired gelding sprinting home by open lengths while appearing well in hand.

"We're not going to race him every week," said Engblom of his projected schedule. "He's eligible to some late closers at Yonkers, and we'll probably send him back over there when they re-open."

Mind Hunter is the perfect horse to own and race at Yonkers because of his limited win total.

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While Engblom expects to start as many, if not more horses in 2023, he is excited about the prospects for a pair of veteran trotters that will soon return to racing action. Specifically, the Muscle Hill-sired 6-year-old Sermon is rapidly on the mend and approaching a qualifying date shortly.

"He finished fourth in the Breeders Crown in 2021," Engblom said of Sermon, who wasn't that far behind Ecurie D in the late-October contest held at the Meadowlands. "He got injured last year and needed time. I expect him to qualify soon."

Engblom hopes that Sermon could benefit from an Open class in 2023 that will look quite different with the retirement of Ecurie D, Back Of The Neck and Forbidden Trade, not to mention the mares Atlanta and When Dovescry.

Perhaps a notch below Sermon is the reliable Hayek that Engblom campaigned to perfection in 2022. The son of E L Titan split time between Harrah's Philadelphia and Yonkers mostly, and that led to a career year with more than $121K banked as Hayek was on the board 20 times in 29 starts for his connections.

What has happened to the Engblom stable over the last few years is a direct reflection on his commitment to the horses and their care and acknowledgement from a growing list of owners to his ability to handle a large number without slippage. Many of the horses Engblom has been sent during the last 12 months have come from trainers with bigger stables. That Engblom has been able to give horses better attention with great results is a good reason why owners continue to knock on his door.

To his credit, Engblom remains low-key, but his success story can no longer fly under the radar. The numbers in 2022 are vivid proof of the ability to change direction and prosper against all odds. When Jimmy Takter retired, his daughter Nancy and Per Engblom were the prime beneficiaries of quality young horses under his care. Over time it became apparent that the person sharing his last name would be first in line when it came to purchasing and training expensive yearlings. Engblom looked like he could have been the odd-man-out so-to-speak, but that's not how the story would play out. Instead, thanks to a willingness to change direction and the hard work required to triple the number of starters in a calendar year, Engblom has now forged his own path with a stable well-balanced for raceway success. Perhaps of more importance is the fact that 2022 represented a year that allowed Engblom to make a name for himself and no longer be considered second in command to a Hall of Famer. Clearly that's represented in some impressive statistics that come directly from Engblom and the hard-working staff he commands.

For now, Engblom will send out horses at the Meadowlands and soon Yonkers, and when Pocono opens in February there should be some at the Pennsylvania track few as well. Despite the growing number of horses in his care, Engblom has managed to keep his winning percentage above 20, a number that both bettors and owners will appreciate.