V85: World's fastest male trotter returns – "The horse of my life"
The world's fastest male trotter is back after finishing second in the Elitlopp.
On Saturday, Dream Mine takes on several other star horses in the Jämtlands Stora Pris at Östersund.
"The horse feels very good, and the plan is for him to get a proper blowout. He'll race with shoes on and will be even sharper for the Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg Trophy on August 19. At the same time, we're heading to Östersund with a positive feeling," says Jörgen Westholm, who will then take aim toward France this winter and the world's toughest race at Vincennes in Paris.
"There's nothing quite like having a horse in the Prix d'Amérique, and that's absolutely the big goal for Dream Mine."
Östersund welcomes a star-studded field when it hosts Saturday's V85 card, with the Jämtlands Stora Pris serving as the sporting highlight of the day. Dream Mine makes a highly anticipated return to the races for the first time since his runner-up finish in the Elitlopp. It has been just over two months since Allegiant made harness racing history by setting a world record with the sensational winning time of 1:07.1 (1,609 meters, auto start). Dream Mine simultaneously became the world's second-fastest horse after finishing second in 1:07.3.
"But I'd rather say he's the world's fastest male horse," Jörgen Westholm says with a laugh when we reach him at the agreed time of 10:20 a.m. Monday.
The Solvalla trainer has just completed a fast workout with his star.
"He went two heats on the training track and felt terrific. I'm very pleased, and to think that after so many years of work I may have the horse of my life. It's an honor and feels absolutely fantastic."
Training at the stable is in full swing, and the races keep coming. Last weekend alone brought victories in France with Indy Rock and on the V85 with Lucky Silver, just to mention a couple of the latest successes for one of Sweden's hottest stables.
"I've got a 20-minute window now while I'm sitting at the computer taking care of a few other things. But we can talk in the meantime," says Westholm, and the conversation quickly turns to Dream Mine, who has meant—and still means—so much to him.
"It's incredible to have a horse like this and to have been there from the day he was born," says Jörgen, referring to the fact that he is also the breeder and co-owner together with Christer and Kristina Nordin. A few weeks ago, Menhammar Stuteri also purchased a 50 percent ownership stake in the five-year-old stallion. Dream Mine will be evaluated for breeding this fall and will stand at stud next year.
"A lot of people have been asking about his services, and the plan is to start collecting semen from him in September or October. We'll have some meetings about exactly how everything will be set up, but he'll be available through frozen semen next year while continuing to race," says Westholm.
"A race we'll never forget – absolutely thrilled"
Looking back to the final Sunday in May, when the biggest moment of the harness racing season unfolded at Solvalla, Jörgen has now had some time to reflect on Dream Mine's runner-up finish behind the sensational Allegiant in the Elitlopp.
"The horse was absolutely terrific, and I had a really good feeling beforehand that he'd be at his best. It turned into a race we'll never forget. Right afterward, when you finish second, you're naturally a little disappointed because you always want to win. But the more time that's passed, the more you realize you can't be anything but absolutely thrilled. Having the world's second-fastest horse and the world's fastest stallion isn't too bad either."
What has Dream Mine been doing since the Elitlopp?
"He took it easy at first and just jogged in the sand for about a month. Then we've gradually stepped things up with the Margareta Wallenius-Kleberg Trophy at Solvalla on August 19 as the target. We haven't done any fast workouts or gone any serious speeds, so it's possible he could be lacking a little speed right now, but that's the schedule we've chosen."
"The plan is for him to get a proper blowout on Saturday, and hopefully that race will move him forward significantly so he'll be at his peak for the Margareta Trophy. He'll also race with shoes on."
"Not a horse you can ever count out"
So, looking ahead to Saturday, Dream Mine will make his first start since the Elitlopp. He lines up in the Jämtlands Stora Pris at Östersund, carrying a first prize of SEK 600,000, against several other Elitlopp stars including Don Fanucci Zet and Gio Cash. Mats E Djuse will once again do the driving, and the pair drew post 9 in the second tier behind the gate over 2,140 meters.
"He's not a horse you can ever count out in any situation, and we're heading to Östersund with a positive feeling. Personally, I'd love to see him win, but as I said, he'll be even sharper after this race, and he's starting from the second tier while racing with shoes. But based on how he's been training, I think he'll deliver a very good performance," says Westholm.
"Nothing compares to racing in the Prix d'Amérique"
Dream Mine has put together a remarkable career, winning the Swedish Trotting Derby, the Grand Prix de l'UET, and the Breeders' Crown last year as a four-year-old. He has won 13 of 20 starts and has missed the board only once, when he was sick in his Swedish Trotting Criterium elimination as a three-year-old. He has earned more than SEK 14.2 million, and remarkably, he has never made a break in a single race. Last year he claimed the sport's highest honor when Dream Mine was voted Horse of the Year at the Swedish Horse Gala. Trainer Westholm has experienced many great moments with his star, and the journey continues this winter with a trip to France and the Prix d'Amérique as the ultimate target.
"I've competed in the Prix d'Amérique before with several horses, so I know what's required. Dream Mine likes longer distances, he won the Derby, and when he won the Four-Year-Old Test at Eskilstuna last year he finished just one-tenth of a second off the world record. So I think he'll suit Vincennes very well, but he's also shown that he likes sprint distances. He's truly an all-around horse."
"There's nothing quite like having a horse in the Prix d'Amérique, and it's incredibly inspiring. We haven't finalized the campaign yet, but he'll probably get a break after the Margareta race and then we'll focus on France this winter. He'll make a few starts in Paris before the Prix d'Amérique," says Jörgen Westholm, who currently has 129 horses in training and is essentially at full capacity.
"That's about as many as we can take, but there's always room for good horses. At least we don't have any empty stalls," continues Jörgen, whose stable has established itself among Sweden's elite with major success in both young horse races and open company. Westholm was also nominated for Trainer of the Year in 2025.
Still recovering from winter illness – "It's going a bit slowly"
Jörgen himself hasn't driven in a race since being struck by a serious bacterial infection in his back this past winter. He spent time in the hospital with a high fever and initially couldn't move. He hasn't driven since early February but is back working full-time at the stable and training horses without any problems.
"It wasn't much fun, and the investigation never determined how I got the infection. I'm working to regain my strength, and even though it's progressing a bit slowly, it's steadily getting better. I drive all the training workouts with the horses, but bending over and sitting in a race bike isn't a comfortable position. Mats Djuse and the other guys are doing a great job, so things are under control. We'll see when I'm ready to start driving races again," he says.
"He's made a fantastic amount of money in France"
In addition to Dream Mine, Jörgen Westholm has three more starters on the V85 card at Östersund, two of them also in the Jämtlands Stora Pris.
"3 Ninepoints Star (V85-4) was interfered with into a break last Saturday, but otherwise he felt good and Mats was pleased with him. We'll give it another try. The post is good, and he has the ability to be right there if he stays flat."
"1 Ninepoints Lasse (V85-7) has raced successfully in France for several years and made a fantastic amount of money there. This may be a little too tough for him, but he has a nice ground-saving trip available and if he can finish fourth or fifth, I'll be satisfied. There just aren't many suitable races for him back home."
"3 Global Concept (V85-7) finished a good fifth in his return last Saturday while racing with shoes and an open bridle. This time he'll race barefoot with a blind bridle. He's a very talented horse at heart and is improving his form. It'll be interesting to see how much he moves forward with that comeback under his belt, and I definitely think he can surprise people and finish in the top three.