HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA Executive Newsletter

HARNESS TRACKS OF AMERICA
SVENSSON GROOM OF YEAR
Fia Svensson, a diminutive 22-year-old Swedish
groom in the Florida-based Jonas Czernyson
stable who delights in providing special care
and attention to tough and difficult horses, has
been named Caretaker of the Year by Harness
Tracks of America, the association of major harness
tracks in North America, and Hanover Shoe
Farms.
The winner, chosen by a committee of racing executives
and officials who groomed horses themselves
earlier in their careers, is symbolic of the
dedication and sacrifices of all caretakers everywhere.
Ms. Svensson, who currently works with five
horses in the Czernyson stable and helps other
caretakers with their duties as well, earned recognition
for her overall work ethic and selfless
contributions to her horses. They included last
year’s winner of the $85,000 final of the New
Jersey Sires Stake for 2-year-old trotters, the
Self Possessed colt Better Than Most. Described
along with other Svensson charges as “no walk in
the park,” the colt could be a nasty kicker in the
paddock on any second visit. After Jeff Gregory
drove him to victory, Ms. Svensson stopped
Gregory on the backstretch and had him replace
the colt’s earplugs, knowing otherwise the winner’s
circle would be “a gruesome scene.”
Another pupil was a Danish colt named Number
One D, with a sign hanging on his stall door
reading, “Caution, I Bite.” The colt delighted in
grabbing arms of unwary visitors, and bit Ms.
Svensson in the stomach while she was blanketing
him. She responded in her usual fashion,
saying, “All he needs is love.” Ms. Svensson’s
pride and joy last year was the 3-year-old
Dream Vacation filly Resortful, second in
the $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks.
Executive Newsletter
A daily fax and e-mail report on racing and gaming developments in North America and beyond
Stanley F. Bergstein, Editor
January 31, 2008
After the filly fractured a cannon bone and was
retired in Kentucky, Ms. Svensson spent a vigil
with her at Millstream Farm before returning to
New Jersey to groom Per Henriksen’s Breeders’
Crown winner Southwind Serena.
Ms. Svensson will receive an oil painting of herself
and a favorite horse of her choosing, as well
as one of the Hanover-HTA jackets that goes to
all caretakers named as nominees.
The four runners-up in the Caretaker of the Year
competition were Kelly Prinz, caretaker of Lis
Mara; Mary Ceaser, groom in a small Massachusetts
family stable; Mario Glynn, who groomed
two million dollar winners -- Our Lucky Killean
and Moving Pictures -- in Casie Coleman’s
powerful Ontario stable; and Diana Fagnani, a
groom for more than 20 years in the Jim Groff
stable in Pennsylvania.
CAREFUL BOYS, HE IS TOUGH
A news story from New Jersey says harness
horsemen at the Meadowlands are considering
a boycott of the entry box in protest to lack of
action by Gov. Jon Corzine, and will be meeting
Sunday to discuss the matter. It is a bad idea, for
three reasons and perhaps more.
If the idea is to pressure the governor into action,
it is not likely to work. He already is aware
of the problem, and his negotiators are working
on trying to solve it and reportedly are nearing
resolution.
The move is likely to greatly upset and irritate
the governor, turning a dispassionate neutral
into an unneeded foe.
The horsemen are overmatched. Their power in
New Jersey, compared to the casinos, is minute.
Don’t pick fights where you aren’t likely to
win, and more important might get hurt.