by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The top Swedish driver Erik Adielsson came close to winning two trotting derbys this weekend, but had to settle for one win and a second.

On Saturday afternoon (Sept. 4) Adielsson was behind the favorite, Le Cannibale, in the Finnish Trotting Derby at Vermo in Helsinki. Le Cannibale is named after his sire, the French champion Jag de Bellouet, who was nicknamed le Cannibale during his career.

Le Cannibale is trained by Stig H. Johansson and after he was second in one of the trial races he was made the favorite in the final, which carried a purse for the winner of $128,000.

Down the stretch it looked as if Adielsson and Le Cannibale were going to win, but on the outside a fast finishing Express Type, driven by Harri Koivunen, got past to win by 1-1/2 lengths. Le Cannibale had to settle for second.

Express Type is an all-around trotter sired by the Finnish champion Express It, a son of Supergill, who got his first Finnish Derby winner. Express Type holds a record of 1:55.1f and has total earnings of $200,000. His dam, Small Type, is by Smooth Blend and Express Type is her first foal.

Sunday afternoon (Sept. 5) saw the Swedish Trotting Derby got underway at Jägersro in Malmoe. Erik Adielsson was behind Joke Face, who is trained, bred and owned by Lutfi Kolgjini, who opted to drive Juggle Face.

As the gate left the field Adielsson sent Joke Face to the front and after the first quarter stablemate Juggle Face came up on the outside. The field settled and there was no speed at all. Then suddenly Ake Svanstedt made his move with outsider Aagards Ludde. Joke Face and Juggle face tried to hold him out and then suddenly Juggle Face with Kolgjini went off stride and was disqualified.

Adielsson was still in control behind Joke Face, but with three-eighths of a mile to go the Derby favorite Never Again, with ôrjan Kihlström, came to take on Juggle Face.

Followed by G H Nemo with Jörgen Westholm, the pair left the field and going around the last corner it looked to be a match between Joke Face and Never Again down the stretch. But Never Again faded, while Joke Face was still full of trot, and though a very fast finishing Zorro Photo, with Belgium driver Dominik Locqueneux, came close, there was never any doubt that Joke Face and Erik Adielsson were going to win and they won by two lengths followed by Zorro Photo and Never Again.

“This is one of my biggest wins ever,” 36-year-old Adielsson said, “but the credit goes to Lutfi Kolgjini and his family, who have done a tremendous job with this horse.”

Joke Face has been a very difficult horse to manage, but Kolgjini’s wife, Anna Svensson, had used many hours to take the horse for a walk in the forest to get him more relaxed — and that paid off on Sunday.

Joke Face is sired by Viking Kronos and out of a French mare, Kalmie Melodi, who had a record of 1:56.3 and earnings of $330,000. Joke Face took victory number 10 from 16 races and with the purse for the winner of $220,000, he now has earnings of $325,000.