by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent
Seabiscuit, driven by Jorma Kontio, was an easy winner of the Finnish Trotting Derby, raced Saturday afternoon (September 3) at Vermo outside Helsinki.
The Finnish Derby is raced over the 1-5/8th mile distance and had a total purse of $285,000 with the winner taking half.
Seabiscuit, who is sired by Credit Winner, was the 2-5 favorite in the race and he didn’t let his followers down.
Kontio eased Seabiscuit from the start, but after the first quarter he went after the lead, got it and stayed there. Seabiscuit was a comfortable winner in 1:59.1f (mile rate) followed by Embassy Caviar, who like Seabiscuit, is trained by Timo Nurmos.
Nurmos is Finnish-born, but runs a big and successful stable at Solvalla, Sweden. This Sunday Nurmos will send four horses out to race in the Swedish Trotting Derby at Jägersro.
Seabiscuit is a very talented trotter; the victory was his seventh from just eight races. So far his best mark is 1:58.4f (mile rate), which he took winning a Derby elimination over the same 1-5/8th mile distance.
His dam, Candy Tilly, is sired by Sugarcane Hanover and on the maternal side Seabiscuit is closely related to the world champion, Victory Tilly.