A 19-year-old rising star in the Coldblood Derby

In June, Isabella Jansson Wiklund graduated after three years in the Social Science program with a focus on criminology. But continuing her academic path isn’t in the cards — at least not for now."Maybe in the future I'll feel like studying again, but right now it's all about horses," she says.

Her mother, Pernilla Wiklund, has held a trainer’s license at Lindesberg for many years, and Isabella got her first pony shortly after learning to walk.
"I became one of those kids who ran around and grew up at Fornaboda, and I’ve just continued on that path. We’ll see what happens in the future, but of course, it’s a dream to one day become a professional trainer. I love putting in time with the horses, and driving horses is the most fun thing I know."

 

For the past month, Isabella Jansson Wiklund has been working at the Swedish branch of top Dutch trainer Paul Haagort's operation, based at Julmyra, a few miles west of Uppsala. In addition to her new job and competing with full-sized horses, she still trains and drives ponies. Since the age limit for pony driving is 25, she can continue for a long time but combining it with driving full-sized horses is not without its challenges."The thing is, there’s such a gap between pony and full-sized horses, and it’s something that needs to be addressed in harness racing. You can feel a bit lost when you’re told you’re too old to drive ponies when doing pony races, and then in the next breath get called a little girl who should be driving ponies when you’re in a race with full-sized horses. I think these kinds of negative prejudices are part of why many don’t transition from pony racing to professional racing. It’s something that’s affected me and has been tough at times. But now I want to be a role model for both girls and boys and show that it’s possible to do both."

Does it feel a bit like payback to those who made those comments now that you’ve qualified a horse for a big final?"Of course, it kind of does. It feels like proof that you actually can do it, after all the mean comments about just being a pony driver.
Just winning the elimination was a huge deal, and a lot of people have come up to me afterward — younger girls especially — who’ve been inspired and now see a future in full-sized harness racing too."

 

On Saturday, Isabella Jansson Wiklund will get into the sulky behind 7 Bazoo Can (V75-5) in the Swedish Coldblood Derby, known in horse racing circles as the “blue ribbon” for four-year-olds. It will be the tenth time the pair compete together. Three of those previous races ended in victory — the most recent being the elimination, where the stallion shocked bettors by sprinting past the competition at 43-to-1 odds."I was at least as surprised as the bettors. We thought maybe he could make it to the final, but we didn’t expect him to win the elimination. Sure, we had joked about it, but it was just that — a joke — and when it actually happened, it was a really big moment."

When the post positions for the final were drawn, Isabella and the horse’s trainer, Kai Pakola, chose post seven behind the starting gate — the same post position as in the elimination.
"Going into the elimination, I was very happy with post seven. Kai maybe wasn’t thrilled, but after discussing it, we concluded that it’s one of the best positions for this horse. He’s a bit sensitive and not particularly quick out of the gate. I don’t want to get involved in the start — the goal is just to get him away trotting as calmly as possible."

What are your chances of another surprise win?"Of course, we have a chance to surprise again. But priority number one is for him to feel good throughout the race and to give us a good effort. If he does that, then he can absolutely be in the mix. But like I said, it all comes down to the effort. And we’re going to have fun, too."

How big would it be to win?
"Just making it to the final and driving in it is a huge dream. Winning would top every list and every dream I’ve ever had."