by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The Swedish trainer-driver Lutfi Kolgjini had a jubilant day at his home track, Jägersro, on Tuesday (July 26) as trotters from his stable not only won the main event, the Aabergs Memorial, but three other big stakes races. More than a third of the total purses for the races on Tuesday were captured by Kolgjini-trained horses.

Gerard Forni photo

Lavec Kronos rallied in the stretch to defeat Brioni in the Aabergs Memorial.

The Aabergs Memorial — a mile race for top international trotters — was won for the second year in a row by Lavec Kronos. Last year Kolgjini himself was in the bike behind the son of Enjoy Lavec, but this year he opted to drive his other entry in the race, Joke Face, and handed the reins behind Lavec Kronos to Erik Adielsson.

Joke Face and Kolgjini were in command for most of the trip. Around the last corner the winner of this year’s Elitlopp, Brioni, driven by Joakim Lövgren, came up on the outside and it looked as if Brioni was going to win. But on the far outside Lavec Kronos came flying and at the finish line he was a half-length in front of Brioni, while Joke Face finished third.

Lavec Kronos was timed in 1:52.3f and won at odds of 20-1. The purse for the winner was $160,000.

The result in the Aabergs Memorial was not only a big triumph for Lutfi Kolgjini, but for the home team also, as the first three past the post are trained at Jägersro.

The Aabergs Memorial is part of the European Grand Circuit series, where Brioni shares the lead with Italian trotter Libeccio Grif with 10 points apiece. However, Libeccio Grif is out for the year due to leg problems.

Lutfi Kolgjini won three races on the undercard. His first came with the 5-year-old Sebastian K (by the French sire Korean), who was outstanding in 1:54.1f, then with the 3-year-old Orion Kronos (by Viking Kronos) in 1:56.3f and finally with the 4-year-old Nash As (by the French sire Goetmals Wood) who won an approximately two mile event in a new track record for 4-year-old trotters of 2:01f (mile rate).

A crowd of 13,523 had a lovely evening at the track in Malmoe and the total handle was $12.6 million.