by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The European wonder trotter, 9-year-old Commander Crowe, driven by Christophe Martens, had an easy task in the Forus Open, a mile race with a purse for the winner of $167,500 at the Forus Track near Stavanger in Norway.

Gerard Forni photo

Commander Crowe won the Forus Open in a time of 1:55.

Commander Crowe drew the outside post position eight in the Sunday (July 1) race and had to trot third over around the first bend. As the leading Winmecredit with Frode Hamre was just waiting for Commander Crowe to take over, it was easy for Martens to direct Commander Crowe to the lead with a lap to go.

None were able to get in in a fight with Commander Crowe, who won handily in 1:55f, but behind him it was very close for second, which the Danish trotter Neo Holmsminde with Bjørn Goop took, as he just caught Winmecredit at the finish line.

Kentucky Futurity winner Wishing Stone, with Jeppe Juel, who recently won the Copenhagen Cup, was boxed in all the way and never saw daylight. He finished sixth.

Commander Crowe will race next time at the end of this month in the Aaberg Memorial in Sweden.

Christophe Martens won another race at Forus and in a faster time than with Commander Crowe. He was behind the Dutch-bred Amour d’Occagnes, who won comfortably in 1:54f.

Another fine performance was turned in by Xquisite Chocolate (Chocolatier), who won in 1:54.3f, driven by Frode Hamre. Xquisite Chocolate, who last year campaigned in the United States, where she took a mark of 1:59.2 and earned $25,294, was sold to interests in Norway and is now trained by Frode Hamre.

This was her sixth start for Hamre and she has now won four races and has earned $86,000 so far in 2012.