The 5-year-old Swedish trotter Don Fanucci Zet, with Ôrjan Kihlström, won the final in the Elitlopp on Sunday (May 30) at Solvalla in 1:50.4f, followed by Vivid Wise As and Gareth Boko.

After a perfect trip second over and trailing Ecurie D, who was outside leading Vivid Wise As, Don Fanucci Zet was the strongest down the stretch in the Elitlopp and won easily.

Team Snyder’s Aetos Kronos got a tough trip from post position seven and finished last.

It was a very emotional victory for the winning team of trainer Daniel Redén and driver Ôrjan Kihlström, who also won the race last year with Propulsion, who later was found to be nerved in both front hooves and thus disqualified from all races in Europe.

It might be a victory for the future breeding of trotters, as Don Fanucci Zet is a son of Hard Livin — he by SJ’s Caviar — and out of the pacing mare Kissed By The West, she by Western Terror.

“I bought her and tried to make a trotter out of her, but without luck. She has done much better as a broodmare,” Redén said after the win.

Don Fanucci Zet rose to be one of the top trotters in his crop as a 4-year-old. He won the Sprintermästaren — also called the Swedish Hambletonian — and finished second in the Swedish Trotting Derby. And now he has established himself as one of the best trotters in the world.

Don Fanucci Zet is owned and bred by the Zet Stable, who race horses in the United States as Brixton Chemicals.

The purse for the winner was 3 Mio. SEK — or $360,000.

Elimination recap

Team Snyder’s Aetos Kronos, trained by Jerry Riordan and with 20-year-old Magnus A. Djuse in the bike, finished fourth in the first elimination in the Elitlopp on Sunday at Solvalla.

Aetos Kronos had to trot three-wide most of the race, but held gamely to fourth place and thus qualified for the final.

The Italian trotter Vivid Wise As with trainer Alessandro Gocciadoro in the bike was able to take the lead from post position one and won easily in 1:52.3f, followed by Don Fanucci Zet with Ôrjan Kihlström and Moni Viking with Björn Goop.

The second elimination ended in a dramatic finish, where leading French trotter Gelati Cut with Gabriele Gelormini drifted down the stretch and interfered with the outside Danish trotter Ecurie D with Ulf Ohlsson. The inquiry sign was posted, but after a while the judges ruled that the result should stand.

Gelati Cut (sired by Coktail Jet) won in 1:52.2f followed by Ecurie D. Third was Jerry Riordan-trained Gareth Boko with Mats E. Djuse and fourth was Cokstile with Vincenzo Gallo.