by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The top Swedish trotter Iceland, who won the Elitlopp back in May, is racing again.

Kanal 75 photo

Iceland was a 1:56.1 winner for Stefan Melander on Thursday.

After the win in the Elitlopp, Iceland was supposed to race in the Copenhagen Cup in Denmark, but just before shipping his trotter owner-driver Stefan “Tarzan” Melander found Iceland lame.

This lameness has kept Iceland away from the track for nearly four months.

But now he is ready again and at Solvalla on Thursday (Sept. 9) he was a very easy winner in a strong field in 1:56.1f for Melander.

Among the top trotters who just saw Iceland from behind was Reven d’Amour, who raced for the first time since his return from the United States and Canada.

Iceland is sired by Scarlet Knight, whom Melander drove to victory in the Hambletonian back in 2001.

Lou Guida’s tough Italian-bred mare Lisa America raced Thursday night at the track in Kouvola in Finland as a last test in a race over 1-1/16th miles before she is going to race in the Aby Stora Pris in Sweden next week.

Lisa America was an easy winner for Torbjörn Jansson in 1:57.3f (mile rate) and got $12,000 for the win.