Europe’s fastest trotter ever, Vernissage Grif, returned to action Thursday night (Aug. 15) at the track in Montecatini in Tuscany for the first time since his disqualification for breaking stride in the Lotteria in Naples on May 1.
Vernissage Grif, with trainer/driver Alessandro Gocciadoro, was the heavy favorite to win the Gran Premio Citta di Montecatini for the second year in a row.
The Gran Premio is raced with two eliminations. Vernissage Grif did his job and very easily won his elimination but was later disqualified and placed last for having interfered while passing the leader Achille BVL after 600 meters. Instead, rank outsider Caronte Trebi, who was second past the post, was handed the race; he was 80-1 in the betting.
Alessandro Gocciadoro got a hefty fine as he was stood down for 14 days.
A consolation for Gocciadoro, who raced a total of four trotters in the race, was that Dolce Viky (sired by Adrian Chip) with Roberto Vecchione in the bike won the other elimination and also won the final, worth 42,000 Euro.