by Karsten Bønsdorf

Sweden’s Maharajah Swedish trotter Maharajah will be pointed for Europe’s biggest trotting race, the Prix d’Amerique in Paris in late January, and Saturday afternoon the march to Paris started.

Maharajah, who is trained by Stefan Hultman and has top driver ôrjan Kihlström as his regular driver, returned to racing after a two month layoff Saturday afternoon at Jägersro in Malmoe in the prestigious C. L. Müllers Memorial – an international race over 1-5/8 mile with a purse for the winner of $75,000.

Maharajah went to post as the even money favorite.

Second favorite, Local Conch with Flemming Jensen in the bike, took the lead and Maharajah had to trot most of the race on the outside.

Despite a tuff trip Maharajah was strongest in the end and won by half-length in 1.57.4f (mile rate) – Local Conch took second.

This was the fourth win from six races in 2010 for Maharajah, who is owned by the Travkompagniet Stable.

Maharajah now has 18 wins from 26 races and lifetime earnings of $1.5 million.