Coach Redén fined $ 10,500 by Sweden’s Supreme Court in the Propulsion case
by Dave Briggs
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that coach Daniel Redén must pay a fine of SEK 100,000 (approximately USD 10,500) in the Propulsion case, which annuls the decision of the country’s trotting association Svensk Travsport (ST) not to fine Redén.
The decision was announced on Tuesday (April 19), which puts an end to the case, which has dragged on for almost two years.
The short version of the story is this: Many years after he started competing in Sweden, ST discovered that Propulsion underwent a nerve procedure in the US before it was sold to its current Swedish owner, Stall Zet (Brixton Medical AB) – even though the procedure was clearly revealed to ST by US Trotting Association (USTA) in the horse’s export certificate. That Propulsion had been nervous was not revealed before Redén bought the horse for Stall Zet at Tattersall’s Summer Mixed Sale 2015. The trainer said that he was not informed about the latter either.
ST decided in 2020 that since the horse was not entitled to compete all the time, Stall Zet must return SEK 26,000,000 (approximately 2.9 million dollars (US)) which was earned on 45 starts in Sweden over five years.
More background click here.
Stall Zet has already returned approximately € 150,000 ($ 162,742) Propulsion earned in Finland and approximately € 593,000 ($ 643,375) earned the trotter in France. The owner has also repaid approximately SEK 18,000,000 ($ 1,905,645) of the 26,000,000 that are owed in Sweden.
The Supreme Court invoked strict rules on coaching responsibility for fining Redén. ST were unpunished for their many shortcomings in the case (see background).
ST’s CEO Maria Croon said in a press release (translated via Google Translate): “The whole matter has been difficult for everyone involved and for the whole trotting sport. It is now a relief that the case has been decided and both parties have been able to present their views on the case and two independent bodies have been allowed to assess this. “