by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

Ôrjan Kihlström, one of Sweden’s leading drivers, was contacted from Italy on Friday just before noon at the track at Solvalla as he was preparing a trotter for the races.

He was asked if he would come to Turin on Sunday afternoon to drive Mago d’Amore in the Premio Citta di Torino because Pietro Gubellini — the regular driver and trainer of the horse — was excluded from racing by the judges.

Kihlström didn’t hesitate, and accepted the drive.

And on Sunday afternoon (April 11) he guided Mago d’Amore to an easy victory in the 1-5/16th mile event, which carried a purse of $55,000 for the winner.

Mago d’Amore, who raced for the first time since he won the prestigious Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli in Milan last year, won in 1:59.3f (mile rate).

The 4-year old son of Italy’s leading stallion for many years, Lemon Dra, has now raced 12 times and has won eight races and has earnings of $270,000.

In France, the Grand Prix du Sud Ouest in Bordeaux was won by Nimrod Borealis, driven by Mathieu Abrivard. The purse for the winner was $107,000.

Nimrod Borealis has been invited to race in the Olympic Trot on Saturday afternoon in Sweden.

In Finland the popular Swedish trotter Commander Crowe was favored to win the Seinäjoki Race at the Seinäjoki track — raced over the 1-5/16th mile distance and with a purse for the winner of $80,000. However, the chestnut gelding was far from his best and was not able to fulfill the expectations and finished a distant fourth.

A very impressive winner was the 11-year old French bred, but now Finnish-owned, Ladakh Jiel driven by Ari Moilanen, who took down long leading German trotter Strong Boy, driven by Joakin Lövgren, to win in 1:58.f (mile rate).

In this race Canadian driver Jody Jamieson was behind another French trotter, Monte Giorgio, who went off stride down the stretch and was disqualified and placed last.

Jamieson is on a busman’s holiday in Finland and so far he has been in the bike ten times; his best placing has been third. Jamieson is going to race 18 more times this week in Finland.

In Sweden last year’s winner of the Swedish Trotting Derby, Maharajah, driven by Ôrjan Kihlström, raced for the first time on Saturday afternoon at Mantorp.

Maharajah was the 1-5 favorite, but had to settle for second as a 13-1 shot, Spring Erom driven by Ulf Ohlsson, proved too strong. Spring Erom won by a length in 1:58.1 (mile rate) over the 1-5/16th mile distance.