Sweden — For many years, harness racing has struggled in the Netherlands, prompting owners and trainers to invest in trotters from other countries.
Initially, they looked to Germany, but now Sweden is the focus.
On Saturday afternoon (November 23), there was a jackpot for the Dutch trainer Erwin Bot and two of his horse owners in one of Swedish trotting’s oldest and finest races, the Uppfödningslöppningen for 2-year-old trotters, with a first prize of $110,000.
The race was won by Pele Boko (sired by Readly Express) with Örjan Kihlström, who masterfully managed to keep Pele Boko trotting around the final turn, where he had become rough gaited. Pele Boko, who won in 1:58.3f, relegated stablemate Eol (sired by Walner) with Erwin Bot to second place, while Fredrik Wallin-trained Pure Athena (sired by Bar Hopping) with Magnus A. Djuse finished third.
The winner is owned by Gerrits Recycling Group, which has been one of the Netherlands’ largest horse owners for many years. The breeder of Pele Boko is John Bootsman, Boko Stables.
The race favorite, Eyeofthetiger (sired by Django Riff) with trainer Per Nordström, who set a Swedish record of 1:54.1f in the qualification, struggled on a sloppy track and made a break shortly after the start.