Italy’s top trainer, Alessandro Gocciadoro, won the Gran Premio Lotteria on Sunday (May 3) for the third time in five years.
The chances of a Gocciadoro horse winning the Gran Premio Lotteria were high, since the “Yellow Man,” as he’s popularly called, started seven horses – but having Free Time Jepson with Andrea Guzzinati take the victory wasn’t really expected before race day.
The 5-year-old Free Time Jepson (Face Time Bourbon) has so far performed best outside Italy, winning both the King’s Trophy and the 4-year Elite at Solvalla in Sweden, and finishing second in the Sprintermästaren at Halmstad. But until Sunday, a second place in the Gran Premio Costa Azzurra was his best result in Italy.
That changed Sunday at a sunlit Agnano track, just outside Naples.
Gocciadoro entrusted Free Time Jepson to Andrea Guzzinati, and the pair gave a preview of what was to come later, surging on the home stretch and winning the first elimination in 1:52.1f, just a fraction from the track record held by Vernissage Grif.
The other two preliminary heats were raced at a slower pace.
Erik Bondo’s Cobra Killer Gar (Readly Express), with Gabriele Gelormini, easily grabbed the lead and had no trouble holding on for the win in 1:54f. In the third heat, Dubhe Prav (Robert Bi), with Santo Mollo, led from start to finish and won comfortably in 1:54.2f.
In the final, Free Time Jepson and Andrea Guzzinati finished strongly and relegated Frank Gio with Matthieu Abrivard to second place, both horses sired by Face Time Bourbon. Free Time Jepson was timed at 1:54.0f.
There was a purse for the winner of €276,230 in the final, who is owned by the major horse owner Scuderia Chelsea.