by Karsten Bonsdorf, USTA web newsroom correspondent

The 10-year-old French mare Nouba du Saptel, driven by Yves Dreux, is Europe’s fastest trotter so far in 2011.

On Saturday afternoon (April 30), Nouba du Saptel won the Criterium de Vitesse de Basse-Normandie over a mile at Argentan in Northern France in 1:52.3 — a new race and track record — and new personal record for the elder mare, who has been a stalwart in many big French international races within the last three-four years.

Gerard Forni photo

Commander Crowe won the Finlandia Ajo in Helsinki.

Nouba du Saptel enjoyed a pocket ride at the 13/16th-mile right handed track behind the leader Roc Meslois, driven by Pierre Belloche, and found racing room inside 150 yards from the finish line as Roc Meslois drifted to the outside.

Oyonnax — the 2010 Prix d’Amerique winner and the favorite in the race — was driven by Sebastian Ernault and tried to catch Nouba du Saptel, but had to settle for second, beaten one length.

This was victory number 21 for Nouba du Saptel, who got $74,000 for the win. Her lifetime earnings are now $2.5 million.

Nouba du Saptel will have to end her racing career this year as according to the French rules no trotter elder than 10 years of age can race in France.

It was not just in France that top international trotters were in action in Europe.

At Vermo, Helsinki, Finland, the Grand Circuit race Finlandia Ajo — a mile event with a purse for the winner of $162,500 — was raced on a sloppy track.

The favorite was the Swedish bred, but French trained Commander Crowe, driven by Jean Michel Bazire, and as Bazire directed the chestnut gelding to the lead as the gate left the field, the race was soon over.

Commander Crowe and Bazire were in command the whole trip and even though another Swedish bred and French trained trotter, Zorro Photo, drive by Jos. Verbeeck, came to close at the end, Commander Crowe had no problems and won in 1:58.2f by a half length. The French bred Rodrigo Jet, driven by Jean Etienne Dubois, made it a 1-2-3 trained success for France.

In Northern Sweden, Maharajah, who hadn’t raced since his win in February in the Prix de Paris at Vincennes, Paris, France, returned to action at Umaker.

Maharajah, with his regular driver, Ôrjan Kihlström, was made the 1-10 favorite in the Gold division in the V75-bet over the 1-5/16th mile distance, and even though he made a break after 200 yards, he came back to win in a very comfortable 1:57.2f (mile rate). The purse for the winner was $50,000.

Maharajah and Commander Crowe might have the Oslo Grand Prix in Norway in a fortnight as their next race.