The third invitation to the $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot has officially been extended to the connections of Jiggy Jog S. The four-year-old mare, bred in Sweden, will carry that flag for owner Jörgen Sparredal and trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt.
“It’s a great honour to be invited. It’s a well-known race in Sweden and a dream come true to have a horse good enough to race,” said Sparredal. “I live in Malta, the filly is Swedish and the breeder Norwegian. And she is located in America with a caretaker from Guatemala, so she is truly international.
“I have always had a dream to race trotters in America and I bought a few yearlings in 2020 that I thought had the right pedigrees,” continued Sparredal. “I decided to try my luck and Jiggy Jog S was the first horse. I tried to buy all five Walner fillies at a sale in Sweden but only managed to get two. I decided on the name Jiggy Jog before I bought the yearlings and had a plan to use that name for the best one. It’s from the 2017 Stanley Dancer race call of Walner winning. I love Walner and the way he looked.”
While she represents Sweden, Jiggy Jog S has spent her entire racing career in North America competing against the best on these shores. As a three-year-old, she closed out a $1,046,819-winning campaign with a Breeders Crown victory and has picked up right where she left off in 2023 by visiting the winner’s circle in all three of her starts.
Jiggy Jog S has increased her margin of victory in the stretch in each of her races and that leads one to believe that the added 1-1/4 distance of the MGM Yonkers International Trot will only help her cause. If nothing else, her versatility will play in her favour as she has won from on and off the pace and owns a victory over the Yonkers Raceway surface in the 2022 New York New York Mile.
“It will not be easy for a four-year-old filly but in terms of ability we fear no one,” said Sparredal. “She is versatile and very fast behind the gate if needed. She won the Breeders Crown parked first-over, Kentucky Filly Futurity wire-to-wire in 1:50 flat and she has won many races from behind. So she has many good skills.
“I’m very excited,” continued Sparredal. “This is a fantastic race and a great initiative. I wish there were more races of this kind, where the best horses from all over the world can compete against each other.”
Next up for Jiggy Jog S, who joins Aldebaran Zeus and Get A Wish in the quest for the MGM Yonkers International Trot trophy, will be the $250,000 Graduate final at The Meadowlands on July 8 followed by the Hambletonian Maturity over the same surface on the 15th of the month.
The $1 million MGM Yonkers International Trot is slated for Sept. 9 as part of a blockbuster program that includes a pair of six-figure Invitationals and the $1.8 million New York Sire Stakes Day of Champions to honour the best two- and three-year-olds in the state. Post time for the special card is noon.
(Yonkers Raceway)