Skoglund’s Christmas dream: relocate to the Big M
At 0h01, on December 3, 2023 • By Dave Little, The Meadowlands
Rikard Skoglund’s name isn’t one that’s familiar to Meadowlands’ fans, but if the 34-year-old native of Sweden has his way, it will be in the not-too-distant future.
Skoglund, who has dreams of relocating to The Big M dancing in his head, guided Bonanza to an authoritative, first-over 1¼-length score Friday night (Dec. 1), and in the process, Bonanza lifted his lifetime stats to seven wins from 10 lifetime starts for Skoglund’s friend, trainer Per Engblom.
The 4-year-old horse by Muscle Hill-Designed To Be stopped the clock in the low-end conditioned trot in 1:55.4 and returned $10.00 to win as the 4-1 second choice in the wagering.
“The racing is a little bit different in Sweden than here,” said Skoglund. “The plan was to leave, [but after having to go first-over] I kept him going without pushing him.”
Skoglund is a full-time driver in Sweden who has close to 1,500 career wins and has been in the top-10 in the standings there for the last five years. He’s hoping things fall into place for the 4,000-mile move to East Rutherford from Stockholm.
“I am here because I have been watching the races from the U.S. my entire life,” said Skoglund. “I wanted to try coming here because I like the way you race here.
“I will be here for three weeks this time, and then go back home before Christmas. I have a baby boy and need to speak with my fiancé. If I make some progress, I’m going to try and move here. I would like to relocate, that’s my dream. Per has told me that the market is big enough for me to not only drive his horses, but others as well.”
