by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Senior News Correspondent

The French top trotter Timoko, who won the Elitlopp three weeks ago, was favored to win the Kymi Grand Prix at the Kouvola track in Finland Saturday (June 17) afternoon, but had to settle for second. The 6-year old Swedish trotter, Carabinieri, driven by Johan Untersteiner, proved too strong for Timoko down the stretch, despite Carabinieri being parked outside Timoko the last five-eighths of a mile.

Gerard Forni photo

Carabinieri defeats Elitlopp winner Timoko in Finland on Saturday afternoon.

Carabinieri won the 1-5/16 mile event by a length in a new track record of 1.54.1 (mile rate) followed by Timoko and another French trotter, 4-year-old Dreammoko, who is in fact Timoko’s son. The purse for the winner was $110,000.

Carabinieri is trained by Peter Untersteiner – father of Johan – who opted to stay back home in Sweden, where he won five races and was second from six starts at the only mile track in Sweden, Tingsryd.

While Timoko, the winner of the Elitlopp had to settle for second in Finland, Propulsion, who finished second to Timoko in the Elitlopp, did win at Boden in Northern Sweden.

Propulsion, driven by Ôrjan Kihlström, was an easy winner of the Norrbotten Grand Prix ( 1-5/16 mile) in 1.54f (mile rate) followed by Oasis Bi and In Vain Sund. The purse for the winner was $115,000.

In Italy the best 3-year-old trotters met at the Gran Premio Nazionale raced over 1-6/16 mile (2,250 meter) in Milan with the purse for the winner at $87,500. Vivid Wise As, sired by Yankee Glide and out of a Cantab Hall mare, proved again, that he is the best in his crop and won in 1.57f (mile rate) driven by Enrico Bellei.

Vivid Wise As has now raced 11 times and won 10 races. To date he has earned $350,000.