by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

To be named Italiano and win one of Italy’s finest trotting races may be said to be very suitable.

On Sunday afternoon, May 2, the 6-year-old Italian trotter Italiano, driven by Gaetano di Nardo, was a surprising winner of the prestigious Gran Premio delle Lotteria at the Agnano track in Naples. The Lotteria is the richest mile race for open trotters in Italy and is raced with three eliminations from which the first three finishers in each advance to the final.

Italiano went into the race as a rank outsider. He was without a win this year from seven races, but in the elimination Italiano showed that he was at his best as he finished second in 1:55.3f behind the favorite Indy Kronos, driven by Enrico Bellei, who won in 1:55.1f.

The draw for the final for Italiano wasn’t the best as he was the only trotter that had to race from the second tier, but it turned out to be an advantage.

Gaetano di Nardo got Italiano parked behind leading Irving Rivarco, driven by Pietro Gubellini, and at the last bend he found racing room and took Italiano to the outside. Irving Rivarco was not able to find another gear and Italiano won by a length in 1:54.3f, a new personal record. Italiano paid 23-1 as the winner. Irving Rivarco, who had won his elimination, finished second, while 37-1 shot Irambo Jet, driven by Roberto Vecchione, finished third.

The purse for the winner was $275,000 and that more than doubled Italiano’s lifetime earnings, which are now at $495,000.

Gubellini, who had to settle for second place in the main event, won the consolation by driving Geox in 1:56f.

In France the 9-year-old mare Nouba du Saptel was an easy winner of the Criterium de Vitesse at the Argentan track in Normandy. On a very sloppy track she won in 1:59.4, driven by Yves Dreux. Oyonnax, driven by Sebastian Ernault — this year’s winner of the Prix d’Amerique — finished second, beaten by a length.