On Sunday afternoon (Sept. 13), the 2026 Norwegian Trotting Derby was won by Kaprizov, driven by Magnus Teien Gundersen and trained by his father, Geir Vegard Gundersen.
It was the 11th time Geir Vegard Gundersen had won the Norwegian Trotting Derby — a record.
Earlier in Derby week, Gundersen Sr. announced that if he won this year’s Derby, he would turn in his trainer’s license. And he stood by his decision after the Derby victory. The 51-year-old Geir Vegard Gundersen is now handing over his training stable to his son Magnus, 29, who is already well on his way to collecting Derby wins. He has won four so far.
Geir Vegard Gundersen was not the only one to reach a milestone with the Derby victory.
The Swedish champion stallion Maharajah made history, as the first four horses across the finish line in the Derby were all sired by him. Maharajah had five offspring in the race, which featured a field of 12 starters.
While the Norwegian Trotting Derby is for 4-year-olds, the Norwegian Trotting Kriterium is for 3-year-olds, and that race was also decided on Sunday afternoon — where it came close to being another Maharajah victory.
After a thrilling duel along the way, Pele BR (sired by Calgary Games), driven by Vidar Hop and trained by Frode Hamre, prevailed over Seaside Fun (sired by Maharajah), with Magnus Teien Gundersen in the sulky.