Sweden’s Borups Victory, sired by Googoo Gaagaa, did not make the cut for the Elitlopp final, but bounced back Sunday (June 14) at Bjerke Racetrack in Oslo by scoring a convincing victory in the Oslo Grand Prix, contested at the distance of 1-5/16 miles, in a new race-record 1:52.2f. (mile rate). The winner’s share was $105,000.
“This is an amazing horse. He has everything. I could talk about him at length, but I guess I shouldn’t,” Daniel Wäjersten said in the winner’s interview on RiksToto Live.
There is no doubt that Borups Victory is a horse very close to the successful Swedish trainer’s heart.
After Get A Wish and Robert Bergh blasted off the gate from post 6 to take the lead, Borups Victory took over after 500 meters and controlled the race from there.
As expected, the strong Epic Kronos, driven by Örjan Kihlström, moved up on the outside of Borups Victory, but when Daniel Wäjersten asked Borups Victory for more speed around the final turn, Epic Kronos could not match the change of pace.
Borups Victory opened up by several lengths, and although he idled a bit approaching the wire, the win was never in danger.
The previous race record was set by France’s Ble du Gers in 2020 at 1:52.3f.
It came very close to being a one-two finish for Daniel Wäjersten, as Copenhagen Cup winner Kuiper, driven by Mats E. Djuse, delivered a strong late kick but just failed to get past Epic Kronos in the battle for second place.
Borups Victory has now won his third Group 1 race, having previously taken the Paralympiatravet and Åbergs Memorial.
Borups Victory will now get a break from racing as he is pointed toward the French Winter Meeting in 2026/2027 at Vincennes and a possible start in the 2027 Prix d’Amérique.
In RiksToto’s Europamatch, the Daniel Redén-trained Keep Asking (by Chapter Seven) and Örjan Kihlström won easily in 1:54.1f.
Keep Asking, who was campaigned in the U.S. by George Ducharme, has now raced a total of 11 times as a 4- and 5-year-old in Swedish ownership and training, winning seven races and earnings of $265,000.