by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Nuncio, driven by owner/trainer Stefan Melander, was a very popular winner of the Swedish Breeders Crown for 4-year-old trotters, raced Sunday (Nov. 8).

Kanal 75 photo

Nuncio was the winner of the Swedish Breeders Crown for 4-year-old trotters.

In the elimination a fortnight ago Nuncio was beaten by rank outsider Owen Face, driven by Adrian Kolgjini, and there was some doubt about his form going into the final.

But Nuncio was at the top of his game.

Though he had to trot most of the race parked outside the leader, Owen Face (this time with Lutfi Kolgjini in the bike), nobody was able to give Nuncio a match and the 4-year-old trotter won the 1-5/16th mile event easily in 1:56f (mile rate) followed by Buzz Mearas, driven by Adrian Kolgjini.

The purse for the winner was $92,500.

Nuncio has raced 13 times this year in Sweden. He has nine wins, three seconds and one third and has earned $370,500.

Nuncio will race again next Sunday afternoon at Solvalla in the Solvalla Grand Prix final with a purse for the winner of $46,250.

And after that, the big question is will Melander point Nuncio for the 2016 Prix d’Amerique? So far, he has not made an official decision.

Treasure Kronos, an Italian-bred 3-year-old by Raja Mirchi-Glide About-Yankee Glide, won the Swedish Breeders Crown for 3-year-old fillies in 1:57.2 (mile rate) for the 1-5/16th mile race, a stakes record. She is co-owned by Americans Jeff and Mike Snyder, Canadian Dr. David Goodrow and Antonio Carraretto. She is trained by Jerry Riordan.

In Italy the prestigious Gran Premio delle Nazioni (1-3/8th miles) was raced at the new track in Milan, La Maura. The 9-year-old Moses Rob, who has been a stalwart in many big Italian stakes races over the years, finally got his big win, worth $140,000. Moses Rob, who is sired by the top French sire Ganymede, was timed in 1:57.4f (mile rate). Roberto Vecchione was in the bike.