Live, From Sweden, it's Peter Kleinhans!

May 20th 2008

 8 comments
Here is a special blog report-- exclusive to First Over-- from fellow attorney and horseman Peter Kleinhans, who is over in Sweden with his great trotter, Enough Talk. Peter, take it away:

"Greetings to all U.S. Racing fans from Sweden!  It is an honor to represent the United States in Sunday's Elitlopp, and I hope that Enough Talk can do America proud.  The flight to Amsterdam and the drive from there to Solvalla racetrack, near Sweden's capitol, Stockholm, seems to have taken nothing out of him.  He's eating well and feeling terrific; I'm not sure exactly what to expect from the local competition, but I'm sure that Talk will give a fine account of himself. 
 
"No matter what happens in the race, however, I am already certain that I made the right decision in accepting the invitation to compete.  What a beautiful country Sweden is: clean, calm, and low stress.  The people here have given Enough Talk, his groom Jen Durden, and myself a royal welcome- literally.  In addition to paying for the horse's shipping and for our flights and rooms, they have treated us as celebrities, introducing us to reporters, trainers, and officials.  Today, Annette, the wonderfully bubbly hospitality manager at Solvalla, took us on a tour of the royal stables, which- for sheer magnificence and polish- puts any other equestrian facility I have seen to shame.  As part of the presentation, we got to watch as the King and Queen of Sweden paraded by in elegant horse-drawn carraiges.  Not a bad perk for getting an opportunity to race against the best trotters in the world.
 
Enough Talk is stabled at the barn of Mike Andersson, a meticulous and exceptionally friendly trainer who has gone out of his way to make us feel at home.  Although Mike has a training style relatively familiar to American trainers, including six miles of jogging per day, many of his Swedish peers have methods which would seem unusual to our stateside trainers.  Instead of jogging daily, most of the horses here are turned out most days, and then come in for once or twice-weekly sessions of interval training:  six or seven 5/16-mile dashes down a straightaway, with about three or four minutes in-between.  The horses here are a curious mixture of American, French, and Swedish breeding with influences from other European countries making their presences felt as well.   There are no pacers here, and while many of the European-bred trotters can look a bit high-going and awkward to the American eye, they seem to just keep on going- and often they do, in races upwards of 1 1/2 miles at times.
 
Tomorrow will be Enough Talk's main pre-race training session; assuming the weather is good (it rained today), I plan on taking him a mile-and-a-half first trip in about 3:30, followed by a mile in a race bike in about 2:02.  He'll just walk on Thursday, jog Friday and Saturday, and should be all set for his Sunday battle.

I'll keep you informed on how he's doing over the next day or two, and will give you my impressions of the racing tomorrow night when I head over to make a wager or two.  The only complaint I have here is with the track program- there is so little information in it that I can't imagine how a bettor can form a serious opinion.  I hear that many of the best gamblers here watch all the races and take their own notes, and I can believe it, because they would gain a huge edge.  Most of the betting here is part of the V75- which can also be seen and bet upon in America, at The Meadowlands, for example.  This is a pick-7, where you must pick at least 5 winners to cash a ticket.  These races are broadcast nationally, on the main television station, every Saturday afternoon. 
 
I'll write more soon; right now it's time for some more smoked fish for dinner!"

Comments

Dean Hoffman said...

Let me join everyone else in wishing Peter and his horse well in the Elitlopp. Peter's a great guy and he's a wonderfully articulate representive for America in all the international media crush around the Elitlopp. I know he'll do very well in the hoopla and interviews and I know Peter will be treated royally at Solvalla.

While Peter will be treated royally, the other horses might not be so nice to Enough Talk on the track. He's facing some very good horses and he'll need to be at his best. I think he can earn a ticket to the final,but I don't know if Enough Talk is enough horse to win against these monsters in the final.

Win, lose, or draw, Peter will enjoy the whole experience. It's great when good things happen to good people.

Once Peter experiences the Elitlopp, he'll never stop trying to get another horse good enough to get invited back.

Good racing luck to Peter and Enough Talk----I'm sure they'll do the Stars & Stripes proud.

posted at 3:28 PM on May 21st 2008

Ken Middleton said...

Peter,

Best of luck to you and Luc on Sunday.
Keep the updates coming!

Cheers,
Ken Middleton

posted at 12:11 PM on May 21st 2008

Alan Rothwell said...

Enough Talk looks full of himself and hopefully will adapt to the change of scenery and travel. It must be a special honor and thrill of a lifetime to represent the USA.

We are all behind you, have a safe trip and bring one home for the Stars and Bars!!

posted at 9:29 AM on May 21st 2008

Greg Reinhart said...

Peter,

I want to wish you and Enough Talk nothing but the best. I've spoken several times to Luc, and he is probably the most excited I've heard him in the years I've known him about going over to drive your horse in this race.

Here's hoping that you guys can win it.

posted at 2:27 AM on May 21st 2008

Ken Warkentin said...

Good luck, Peter
You're a credit to the game and a great representative

Ken Warkentin

From Andrew: So are you, Ken. And thanks for checking out the blog. Feel free to volunteer a guest blog column any time you want!

posted at 7:40 PM on May 20th 2008

Raine said...

Hello.
I`m from Sweden but i hope Enough Talk wins the Elitlopp. It will be great to have an american winner in the Elitlopp. That can be good so they will come over more times.
i been follow us harness racing long time and a think itīs the best.
Last year Mr Muscleman was great to see and that was pity that he not won.
Best regards from Sweden.
Check out my website www.worldclasstrotting.com

posted at 5:47 PM on May 20th 2008

bones said...

Hey Pete, go get em. just leave out clean and stay clear. You're living a dream.

posted at 4:22 PM on May 20th 2008

Billy Haughton said...

Peter is a great personality for Harness Racing, my favorite sport. I certainly wish him all the best of luck. I remember when my Mother, Father, Brother and Sister had the opportunity to go over there with Keystone Pioneer over 30 years ago. They echoed Peter's same sentiments when they arrived... Have a great time ,
Best,
Billy Haughton

posted at 4:03 PM on May 20th 2008

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