Meadowlands: Four first-time sires make the Hambletonian Final cut

A group of four stallions - Creatine, Googoo Gaagaa, Southwind Frank and Trixton - will start one of their sons in the Hambletonian final for the first time on Saturday, August 7 at the Meadowlands.

Perhaps the most intriguingly-bred horse in the Hambletonian final is elimination winner Captain Corey, who is by the now-exported Googoo Gaagaa. By pacing stallion Cam's Rocket and out of the Veeba Rova mare Kora's Trotter, Googoo Gaagaa had a quite brilliant career in the United States, earning $665,339 and taking a mark of 1:50 4/5 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. He never caught on as a commercial stallion here, but in Sweden, he did, first through frozen semen and then actually going over there following his purchase by Robert Lindstrom. Lindstrom is also a co-owner of Captain Corey.

"In Sweden/Europe, having a Hambletonian starter does not impact his popularity as a sire," said Tristan Sjoberg of Knutsson Trotting, another one of Captain Corey's co-owners. "He is already the hottest stallion in Europe and his prodigy have already won The European Trotting Derby (2020), Swedish Kriteriet for 3-year-olds (2019), Swedish Trotting Derby (2020) and Breeders' Crown (2020). In 2018, his offspring also won the most prestigious 2-year-old race in Sweden, the Swedish Uppfödningslöpning. He has had a full book for the last two years and prices at auctions reflect this.

"Googoo Gaagaa never really got a chance to prove his worth as a stallion in the USA, for a variety of reasons, but no one in Europe is surprised about his success [as a sire]. Many successful sires in Europe have had pacer blood in them, such as Zoot Suit, so Googoo Gaagaa fit our world view perfectly in Sweden. This year's Elitloppet winner, Don Fanucci Zet, also has pacer blood."

The Swedish and European markets' gain of Googoo Gaagaa is certainly the American market's loss, especially since he's an out-cross sire that has shown the ability to have horses compete and win at the top levels.

"For the American market, the train has left the station. Googoo Gaagaa is now in Sweden, and I cannot see him returning. Shame, he would have provided an excellent alternative to the current bloodlines, which are getting progressively narrower," remarked Sjoberg. "The average inbreeding coefficient of horses sold at auctions in the States is around 17 percent; in Europe we have below 10 percent. This is one of the reasons why we are seeing falling fertility rates amongst potential stallions in North America, yet nobody is talking about it."

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Creatine will be represented by Take All Comers, who finished fourth in the second elimination. Standing in Ohio at Sugar Valley Farms through an arrangement with Diamond Creek Farm, Creatine had 40 horses in his first crop in 2018, and Take All Comers, out of the Cantab Hall mare Nantab, is his richest offspring, having earned $235,929. Take All Comers, trained by Jim Campbell, is a homebred for Runthetable Stables and is a half-brother to Next Level Stuff, their Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Filly Trot champion of a year ago.

Southwind Frank, like Creatine, is a Diamond Creek stallion, and Hambletonian elimination winner Delayed Hanover is from his first crop. Delayed Hanover, who is Southwind Frank's richest colt, is out of Don't Wait Up, an unraced Credit Winner mare. Delayed Hanover's third dam is 1994 Canadian Horse of the Year Emilie Cas El, who would go on to produce Breeders Crown champion Impressive Kemp (by Credit Winner) and then threw Trixton when bred to Muscle Hill for the first time in 2011.

Southwind Frank is also represented in the Hambletonian Oaks for the first time by Flawless Country. She has the most money earned of any of his offspring ($462,579), and like Delayed Hanover, is campaigned by Ake Svanstedt.

"To have both Southwind Frank and Creatine represented in the Hambletonian with their first crop of 3-year-olds is really exciting for us," said Diamond Creek Farm President Adam Bowden. "These are two stallions we are heavily invested in as a farm, especially Creatine as a homebred."

Bowden also pointed to the diversity of the Hambletonian field as a key indicator to the strength of the industry.

"To see such a strong field represented by such a wide group of stallions tells us that it continues to be worth it to go after and invest in these stallion prospects," said Bowden.

Completing the group is Trixton, a longer-tenured stallion than the others, but one who has been in search of a top colt up to this point. He may finally have it in Cuatro De Julio, who won in 1:51 3/5 at The Red Mile as a rookie, showing the early speed breeders, owners, and trainers covet, and coming back to race well both in the New Jersey Sire Stakes program and on the Grand Circuit this year.

"To me, Trixton's a good stallion, both here and in Europe," said bloodstock agent Perry Soderberg. "It's been a little tricky to compete with Muscle Hill in New Jersey, for sure, which I think most stallions would have found out if they were standing there.

"I think (having a Hambletonian finalist) helps for sure, and that horse has, of course, proven before that he's a high-caliber horse. I believe he won in 51 as a 2-year-old, which also is very important, if they can show that kind of speed early on. There are a lot of very nice fillies by Trixton and there are some colts, but I think this is one with the most ability. He's crossed with a Ready Cash mare and a good European family behind it, which might have been something that helped Trixton in this case."

That cross of Trixton with a Ready Cash mare named Clarabelle makes Cuatro De Julio very interesting, both currently and perhaps in the future if he hits the stallion market. He's another potential out-cross sire, as you have to go back to his fifth generation to find a repeat sire in his pedigree (Speedy Crown three times), and like Sjoberg mentioned, Soderberg also said that the trotting market should definitely continue to look for new blood.

"I think there are different types (of sires) now. We have an influence of out-cross blood, which I like because I think we produced a lot of early speed and talent and clean gait here in the U.S., but we got to a point where, I think, we need to mix up the blood a little bit," offered Soderberg. "Googoo Gaagaa, Readly Express, Love You, in the case of Cuatro De Julio we have a Ready Cash dam, and those kinds of influences, I think, it's showing that we're going into a little different type of area.

"Horses are so talented now, you can buy any different type of breeds - especially in the trotting section - and still have a really good horse, and I like that. You're supposed to have that possibility. I'm excited about the trotting industry. We have more interesting stallions coming up, for sure."

For now, though, the focus is on if any of these Hambletonian first-time sires will see one of their sons come away with the trophy and a place in history.