by John Pawlak, marketing director, USTA

Columbus, OH — Officials at Ippodromo Montecatini in Milan, Italy, are seeking entries for two graded stakes for trotters, the colt and filly divisions of the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli.

The Grade I division for 3-year-old colts — no geldings are permitted — will be raced on Thursday, November 1, and will offer a purse of €385,000 (approx. $547,700). The race will be contested in same-day eliminations and a final, all from behind a mobile starting gate and all at 1,600 meters — approximately one mile.

The Grade II filly division, also to be on November 1 and at 1,600 meters, will offer a purse of €110,000 (approx. $156,500).

Entries for both races will close at 4:00 p.m., Milan time, on October 31. For more information, contact the Ippodromo Montecatini via telephone at 011-39-2-482-164-61, or at 011-39-2-482-164-48.

Over the years, the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli has been won by some of the sport’s top horses, including Malabar Man, who won the European classic the same year he won the Hambletonian, in 1997.