The 7-year old Italian top trotter, Vernissage Grif with trainer/driver Alessandro Gocciadoro won the prestigious Jämtland Stora Pris at the track in Ôstersund in Sweden easily, even though he had to trot outside the leader Hail Mary with Robert Bergh in the last 1,000 meters on Saturday (June 12).

Favored Hail Mary ran out of gas going into the stretch and the winner of last year’s Swedish Trotting Derby finished last.

Vernissage Grif – a chestnut sired by legendary Varenne – went on to win the 1-5/16 mile event in 1.54.3f (mile rate) followed by Wild Love with Kevin Oscarsson and Click Bait with Per Lennartsson.

The purse for the winner was $84,000.

Much more money was at stake in the V75-wager, where only three systems were alive before the last leg.  If Hail Mary or Missle Hill would have won one system would have paid out $2.7 million.  Brother Bill would have paid 1.35 million dollars.

But none of the three systems had Vernissage Grif marked.  This means, that there is a carry-over at 2.7 million dollars for V75 next Saturday (June 19).

At Vincennes, there was drama in the Prix Chambon P, where some of the best French trotters were entered.

Dorgos de Guez with trainer/driver Jean Michel Bazire was first followed by Violetto Jet with Franck Nivard and Diable de Vauvert with Gabriele Gelormini.  However, Dorgos de Guez and Diable de Vauvert were both disqualified and placed last for interference with Chica des Joudes and Alain Laurent round the last bend,