by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent
The first edition of the European Championship for mares was raced on Wednesday evening (August 17) at Solvalla, and was won by 9-1 shot KLM Prelong, driven by Åke Svanstedt.
KLM Prelong enjoyed a pocket ride second, following the favorite Viola Silas, and down the stretch she proved to be the strongest to win the 1-5/16th mile event in a new personal record of 1:56.4f (mile rate). Since it was the inaugural edition of the race, it was a race record as well.
Lou Guida’s Italian mare Lisa America, driven by Torbjörn Jansson, went to post as the second favorite, but got boxed in from post one. She was sitting fourth at the rail most of the trip and never really found racing room and finished sixth.
KLM Prelong is a 7-year-old mare and has a lot of French blood in her, as her sire is the French sire Dahir de Prelong and her grandsire is another French sire, Larabello. She picked up a check for $118,500 for the win.
Photo finish in the Jubilee Prize
There was $158,000 on the line for the winner in the main event of the night, the Jubilee Prize for 5-year-old trotters, raced over the 1- 5/16th mile distance. Sebastian K, driven by Lutfi Kolgjini, was the favorite despite having to start from the second tier behind the gate.
Kolgjini made his move after five-eighths of a mile and found a place on the outside of leading Express Type with Björn Goop. Going into the stretch Sebastian K took over. He looked like he was going to win, but with a late brush 9-1 shot Prince Tagg, driven by Ralf Karlstedt, came from behind.
At the finish line it was impossible to see who had won. The judges called for a photo and it took several minutes before the result became official. Prince Tagg was the winner by an inch!
The story of Prince Tag is an adventure. His pedigree is nothing special. His sire, Prince RS, was a top trotter in Sweden who raced 153 times and won 52 races and his dam, Cinderella Lej, raced 14 times without a win. At a sale he wouldn’t have brought much as a yearling.
Until the Swedish Breeders Crown for 4-year-olds, raced in early November last year, nobody saw Prince Tagg as a leading contender in his crop. But since Prince Tagg won the Breeders Crown as a 31-1 shot he has got the recognition he deserves. He was even the first trotter invited to race in the Elitlopp this year after an easy win in 1:53.4f in April.
Wishing Stone fourth in Solvalla Series
In the fifth leg of the Solvalla Series, last year’s winner of the Kentucky Futurity, Wishing Stone with Ake Svanstedt, was the 1-5 favorite. But as Wishing Stone had to trot without cover outside of leading Muscles Wiking BR, driven by Björn Goop, he tired down the stretch and finished fourth.
Muscles Wiking BR was an easy winner in 1:57.2f (mile rate) followed by USA-bred Formula One, who was a length behind. The purse for the winner was $23,500.