by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The European championship for 3-year-old trotters on Wednesday night (August 18) was won very easily by Muscles Wiking BR — a Norwegian bred son of Muscles Yankee and out of Sappho Blue Chip, she by Credit Winner. Sappho Blue Chip was sold in Harrisburg in 2006 in foal to Muscles Yankee for $110,000 and exported to Norway.

Muscles Wiking BR is trained in Sweden by Olle Goop and had Björn Goop in the bike. Björn Goop went for the lead with Muscles Wiking BR from the start and once in front he controlled the race. The victory was very easy and Muscles Wiking BR won the 1- 5/16th mile event in 1:59.2f (mile rate). This was victory number seven from just nine races. The purse for the winner was $75,000. The German entry, Velten Couture driven by Heinz Wewering, finished second, while Italy’s Noak LB with Daniel Olsson was third.

It was a great day for racing at Solvalla on Wednesday. Besides the European Championship the Jubilee Prize for 5-year-old trotters over 1-5/16th miles with a purse for the winner of $135,000 was carded.

The German trotter Nu Pagadi, who is trained by Stig H. Johansson and driven by Erik Adielsson, was the favorite, though he had to race from the second tier. However the handsome chestnut trotter — a son to the top French sire Love You — proved to be the best, despite having to trot outside without cover for the most of the race.

Down the stretch he wore down long leading Yarrah Boko, driven by Björn Goop, to win by 1-1/2 lengths followed by a fast finishing Nora’s Bean, driven by Stefan Söderkvist. Yarrah Boko finished third. Nu Pagadio was timed in 1:55.1f (mile rate).

Last year’s winner of the Swedish and European Trotting Derby, Maharajah, with Ôrjan Kihlström, could have raced in the Jubilee Prize, but his trainer, Stefan Hultman, choose to race the son of Viking Kronos in the C TH Ericssons Memorial over 1-5/8th miles with a purse for the winner of $20,000.

Maharajah was the even money favorite and won by a length in 1:59f (mile rate). Future plans for Maharajah are to race him in Paris this winter with the Prix d’Amerique as the main target.

A total of 6,534 fans were at Solvalla Wednesday evening and the handle in the tote was an impressive $12 million.