Name: Ørjan Torstensson (Oer-yahn Thor-stenn-son)
Nick name: Janski
Born: Karlstad Sweden
Married: To Nina
Daughter: Emily
Live: Bordentown New Jersey
Curriculum Vitea: Chuck Sylvester 7 years, Brett Bittle 4 years, Joie De Vie Farms 1 year, Jimmy Takter 4 years and Italy 1 year
Working all those years with Chuck Sylvester and Jimmy Takter has given me great experiences. All the big races that we been in together. It has thought me to not be afraid to make changes if “necessary“. I have been in a lot of big races so the name of the race and the purses aren’t so intimidating. Both Chuck and Jimmy are great when it comes to timely and well judged changes to a horse. I seen all the inside work of running a big sized stakes barn.
Interests: Trying to work out 3-5 times a week, but with the schedule us horsemen has it is hard to do it. NHL hockey, Pittsburgh Penguins is the favorite team. Saw a picture in a hockey magazine in Sweden when Super Mario got drafted, liked the color combo of Black and Yellow with that angry penguin logo. English Soccer, Southampton FC is my team. Kevin Keegan was my favorite player as a kid. Saints bought him from Hamburg SV in 1981, so they became my team. Swedish Elit League in hockey, if you are from Karlstad Sweden, Farjestad is your team.
History: I got in to harness racing through my family that owned horses in Sweden. My parent’s farm is neighboring famed Swedish trainer Erik Berglof’s (trainer of double Elitlopp winner and world record holder Copiad) farm. I spent quite a bit of time there helping the grooms jog their horses. I wanted some adventure in life so in the fall of 1991 I started working for Chuck Sylvester, had planned to stay in USA for a year and I am still here.
Goals: That my near and dear will have a healthy and prosperous life. Be able to build a good successful business that will be a factor on the worldly harness racing scene.
Favorite Tracks: The Red mile, because the legacy it has in our sport. I simply love to take a horse out to train or jog over that red clay. Every single great horse and trainer in the North American racing has put their feet on that track. If that place would close we are loosing the heritage and the future of our sport.Janski Mohawk, I been apart of winning a lot of races there. The closeness to the crowd and there are a lot of good people around there. Arjang It is a small 5/8’s not far from where I grew up. A cozy place withmountains and forest surrounding and people sittingaround the track with picnic baskets. 50 cent soft serve ice cream. Well that was thirty years ago, but still a happy childhood memory.
Favorite races won: When I took care of Armbro Keepsake we were in a ¾ mile race in Sweden. There was seven horses behind the gate, she had the seven hole. Going in to the last turn “Keepsake” was 7th at the rail when Stig H Johansson tipped her three deep and she blew by the field to win by seven. I think it was in 1.23.2. That was back in 1993. God damn that girl could fly when she wanted to. Windylane Hanover the Hambo Oaks 2002. She was a surprise but I had a good feeling about her that day. A couple of days before the Oaks they called me from Swedish TV, they were showing the races live there and asked what I thought about the race. I told them that Cameron Hall would probably win, but that “Windy” was going to get a big piece of it. Well she did, the biggest! to an odds of 25-1 if my memory serves me right. She was a tough little girl. Cabrini Hanover the Fan Hanover at Mohawk. That was an emotional roller coaster if anything. First the break behind the gate, at that moment I had a near death experience. It was like somebody dunked me in to a frigid ice bath, I still got a scar on my jaw from when it dropped and hit the ground. And then after some zigzag by Sears she comes storming down the lane to win it all. And the great high to win such a great race in such impossible manner. 1,51 of pure hell and despair and the greatest joy happens only in Horse racing!. Well the beer at Mohawk inn tasted especially good that night. Mr Feelgood The Little Brown Jug, “Feelgood” was an OSS horse so he spent the summer up here with me. When he won that race I was ecstatic, I do to this day wish I was in Delaware, but I had another ten horses in Canada that had to be raced. I never been around a horse that lived up to his name as much as Mr Feelgood did. A truly great animal, by the way all the great horses I been around has all been great animals.
Favorite races to win: The Hambo, The Elitlopp, The Prix d’Amerique no specific order. If Takter, “Bernie” Lindstedt and “Tarzan” Melander could do it, I can.