by Thomas Hedlund

Thierry Duvaldestin-trained Falcao de Laurma (Uniclove) is the only trotter in the French 4-year-old crop that has beaten the dominant Face Time Bourbon in a race, so far.

In the Prix de Tonnac-Villeneuve in January this year, Falcao de Laurma disarmed Face Time Bourbon in a swinging show at Vincennes. When it was time for the $245,000 Criterium des 4 Ans at the same track, Face Time Bourbon wasn’t in the race.

Eighteen trotters were gathered around the black track of Vincennes last Sunday and Criterium des 4 Ans became a happening where several horses disappeared by making breaks, including Falcao de Laurma early in the race, but Franck Nivard managed to get his horse in the right gait and Falcao de Laurma posted a really impressive performance doing heavy lifting outside the field and won in a mile rate of 1:57.4 over 1.8 miles.

Falcao de Laurma replay.

Cleangame cleans up

Later on the same day, at Vincennes, Jean-Michel Bazire stole the show behind Cleangame (Ouragan de Calland) in the $122,500 Prix Kerjacques. Cleangame got parked outside leader and stablemate Ble du Gers and Bazire totally controlled the field from that position. Cleangame was outstanding and Bazire seemed to have everything in his hands throughout the last turn. The victory in mile rate of 1:56.4 over 1.7 miles was taken with lots of power left in Bazire’s reigns.

Cleangame replay.

Set for Copenhagen Cup

Charlottenlund will be in focus on Sunday afternoon when prestigious $113,000 Copenhagen Cup for the older elite is on the race card.

Title defender Cyber Lane, Olympiatravet runner up Handsome Brad and Makethemark, who got an invitation to Elitloppet on Tuesday evening, will chase fame and glory in Copenhagen.

The distance was 2.011 meters.

Copenhagen Cup 2019

Horse – Driver (Trainer)

1. Handsome Brad-Carl Johan Jepson (Ulf Stenströmer)
2. Generaal Bianco-Peter Untersteiner (Peter Untersteiner)
3. Voltaire Gifont-Pietro Gubellini (Cristian Rizzo)
4. Cyber Lane-Johan Untersteiner (Johan Untersteiner)
5. Racing Mange-Joakim Lövgren (Joakim Lövgren)
6. Dreammoko-Wim Paal (Wim Paal)
7. Makethemark-Ulf Ohlsson (Petri Salmela)
8. Cash Hanover-Michael Nimczyk (Wolfgang Nimczyk)
9. Repay Merci-Knud Mönster (Knud Mönster)
10. Tsunami Diamant-Robin Bakker (Paul Hagoort)

More Elitloppet invites

Besides Makethemark (Maharajah), another Swedish bred horse was invited to Elitloppet this week.

Daniel Redén-trained Heavy Sound (Ken Warkentin) impressed the general of Elitloppet, Anders Malmrot, in the horse’s debut of the year recently and the 7-year-old trotter got his invitation on Wednesday night at Solvalla.

It means that Daniel Redén now has three horses ready for Elitloppet, since Propulsion and Double Exposure both were invited earlier this spring.

It’s also set that Erik Adielsson will be the pilot of Double Exposure, while Ulf Ohlsson is going to steer Makethemark. Kenneth Haugstad will sit in the bike of Heavy Sound.

Invited horses for Elitloppet 2019:

Readly Express
Propulsion
Dijon
Aubrion du Gers
Looking Superb
Double Exposure
Makethemark
Heavy Sound
Uza Josselyn