By Mina Afayee | Special for NJ.com
In a dramatic finish, Perfect Spirit was declared the winner in Saturday's $1 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack after the judges disqualified first-place finisher What The Hill.
Hall of Fame driver David Miller steered What The Hill first across the finish line and it would have been his first Hambletonian victory in 13 attempts, but instead the trophy went to driver-trainer Ake Svanstedt in 1:52.3.
"It was very big, I'm very happy," said Svanstedt, who is a native of Sweden and has been competing in North America for the past four years.
"You have to be very lucky like we were. You have to live in the moment right now," Perfect Spirit's owner Lennart Agren of SRF Stable added.
Perfect Spirit paid $17 to win.
What The Hill was disqualified after interfering with Guardian Angel AS while looking for racing room in the stretch and striking the other colt's legs, causing Guardian Angel to go off stride.
"It was a tough break," said Miller of being disqualified.
Perfect Spirit cut the mile and was passed by What The Hill late in the stretch. What The Hill went on to prevail by half a length. He was later placed ninth by the judges.
Favorite Devious Man finished third and was placed second. Enterprise, who finished fourth, was placed third.
Svanstedt, 58, won his first Hambo in three starts, but he is accomplished in his home country. He won the Elitlopp, Sweden's equivalent of the Hambo, in 2004 and 2009. He has also won Trainer of the Year in Sweden five times and Driver of the Year three times.
Last year, Svanstedt earned $4.42 million in purses in the U.S. as a trainer.
Earlier in the day, International Moni, driven by Scott Zeron, won the first Hambo elimination by a nose in a photo finish. In the final, the horse broke stride in the first turn, taking himself out of contention.
Enterprise won the second elimination with Tim Tetrick in the sulky.
On the undercard, driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jimmy Takter dominated. The combo won their fourth straight Hambletonian Oaks, sending out Ariana G to victory in 1:51.2. The 3-year-old filly trotter paid $2.40.
You Know You Do won by 2 1/4 lengths in the Peter Haughton Memorial. The 2-year-old trotting colt won in 1:54.2 for the pair. The winner of the Peter Haughton is considered the early favorite for next year's Hambletonian.
Gingras and Takter also won the Jim Doherty Memorial for 2-year-old trotting fillies with Manchego in 1:52.4.
The Sam McKee Memorial, renamed this year in honor of the late track announcer who died in March at 54, was won by Check Six in 2:02.1 for the 1 1/8 mile race. McKee served as the voice of the Meadowlands for nearly two decades.
Mina Afayee, a graduate of Rutgers University, is reporting as part of the Clyde Hirt Journalism Workshop.