By Frank Cotolo, for Meadowlands Media Relations (Lisa photo)
How about two Virginia-Certified harness horses reaching millionaire status within two weeks of each other! Three-year-old colt pacer Louprint became the very first Virginia-Certified million dollar earning standardbred June 14 after capturing the Pepsi North American Cup then on June 28, 5-year-old trotting mare Call Me Goo reached 7-figure earning status as well. Goo snagged her 24th career win in the $114,500 Six-Pack Mare Trot at The Meadowlands and pushed her bankroll to $1,041,588! The daughter of Googoo Gaagaa spent six months at the Powhatan Plantation in King George County as a baby and as a result of her Virgina stay, qualified for the VHHA’s lucrative residency bonus program. The prize trotter was owned initially by Adam Ainspan’s Graham Grace Stables of Clifton, VA. Ainspan now co-owns with trainer Ake Svanstedt, Bib Roberts & Kiwi Stables. Details about the Certified program are at vhha.net
Virginia-Certified Call Me Goo fought confidently when making two moves in her 1:51.2 winning effort in the $114,500 Six Pack Mare Trot on Saturday (June 28) at The Meadowlands and thrusted herself over the seven-figure earnings plateau in the process.
Trainer Ake Svanstedt drove the 5-year-old daughter of Googoo Gaagaa to her first win in three starts this year.
One of four mares for trainer Ake Svanstedt in the seven-horse field, Call Me Goo left swiftly from post 7 and took the lead over M-M’s Dream and even-money favorite Dial Square S to cut the first quarter in :27.2. Call Me Goo controlled the engine in the backstretch until James Macdonald pulled Dial Square S, another Svanstedt-trained mare, from third to take the lead into a :55.4 half and continued on the motor to three-quarters in 1:24.1.
Svanstedt asked Call Me Goo to go turning for home and she responded out of the pocket with an easy swing back to the lead. Dial Square S surrendered in the stretch to closing moves from M-M’s Dream and Nesonbriteagle NO, with M-M’s Dream closing ground on Call Me Goo in the closing stages. Call Me Goo rebuffed the sustained late challenge from M-M’s Dream to win by a length with Nelsonbriteagle NO finishing third and Dial Square S left in fourth.
Call Me Goo paid $4.40 in her 24th victory from 40 starts in her career. The top cash prize made her a millionaire, with $1,041,588 accrued through her career thus far.
Ake Svanstedt recorded his third-straight training win in the Six Pack, winning in 2023 and 2024 with Jiggy Jog S. He co-owns the winning mare with Graham Grace Stables, W. Roberts and Kiwi Stables.
After the race Ake said his strategy was to take the front off the gate. “She’s a tough mare and very good [on the front].” He said he was confident even when Dial Square S took over the lead. “It was good because she always tries and gets the lead back. And she can go with the colts, and she will.”
