by Thomas Hedlund

Italy, Finland and Sweden will be targeted by harness racing fans in Europe this weekend. The show starts in Gothenburg, Sweden where Åby racetrack plays host to the $300,000 Paralympiatravet and $200,000 Queen’s and King’s Trophy for 4-year-olds on Saturday (May 3).

The horses in the Paralympiatravet final are familiar and the Sunday (April 27) draw made the big 1.3-mile race spectacular in advance. The initial part of the race will be exciting with several quick openers from the inside posts behind the gate. Borups Victory will probably be the bettors’ choice Saturday afternoon, but the field is strong with many top trotters challenging for the win.

Trainer Daniel Wäjersten has great shots in the both Group 1-races for the 4-year-olds and in the mares’ final, Oaks winner Vivillion will try to establish her position as the crop’s number one among the female trotters.

In the King’s Trophy for colts and geldings, Wäjersten and his Lando Mearas, French Kronos and Loxahatchee will all be dark horses since a very impressive qualification winner was seen in Alessandro Gocciadoro trained Free Time Jepson. Anything can happen in races, but the Italian bred Free Time Jepson looked like something extra special as he won in a mile rate of 1:54.2 over 1.3 miles.

Naples, Italy is next with Sunday’s (May 4) $715,000 Gran Premio della Lotteria including 24 horses in three elimination heats, with Gocciadoro training eight of them. Always Ek, Click Bait, Bengurion Jet, Dany Capar, Banderas Bi, Vernissage Grif, Executiv Ek and Diamond Truppo are Gocciadoro’s horses in the Lotteria.

Going north to Helsinki, Finland and the $200,000 Finlandia-ajo, where a ticket for Elitloppet waits for the winner.

It’s an open story on paper with 10 horses chasing the pink ticket to Solvalla and it might end with a wire-to-wire victory for Stefan Melander’s Decision Maker, who most likely will reach the front position paired with Carl Johan Jepson.

$300,000 PARALYMPIATRAVET 2025

2,140 meters

Horse — Driver

1. Borups Victory — Daniel Wäjersten

2. Önas Prince — Per Nordström

3. Kentucky River — Örjan Kihlström

4. San Moteur — Björn Goop

5. A Fair Day — Oscar Ginman

6. Inmarosa — Leo Abrivard

7. Castor The Star — Mats E. Djuse

8. Ture L.A. — Carl Johan Jepson

9. Gaspar d’Angis — Louis Baudouin

10. Working Class Hero — Mattieu Mottier

$200,000 KING’S TROPHY

2,140 meters

Horse (Sire) — Driver

1. Izod Zet (Propulsion) — Örjan Kihlström

2. Lando Mearas (Walner) — Daniel Wäjersten

3. Loxahatchee (Greenshoe) — Björn Goop

4. Free Time Jepson (Face Time Bourbon) — Alessandro Gocciadoro

5. Feudale Degli Dei (Brillantissime) — Micha Brouwer

6. Zuccezz Zack (Maharajah) — Anders Zackrisson

7. Phantom Express (Readly Express) — Ulf Ohlsson

8. Kreadlys Lew (Readly Express) — Joakim Lövgren

9. French Kronos (Face Time Bourbon) — Mats E. Djuse

10. Far Wise As (Face Time Bourbon) — Carl Johan Jepson

11. Preacherman (Father Patrick) — Markus B. Svedberg

12. Luke The Spook (Greenshoe) — Adrian Kolgjini

$200,000 QUEEN’S TROPHY

2,140 meters

Horse (Sire) — Driver

1. Scarfo Pellini (Walner) — Björn Goop

2. Vivillion (Propulsion) — Daniel Wäjersten

3. S.G.Empress (Readly Express) — Örjan Kihlström

4. Matchmadeinheaven (S.J.’s Caviar) — Carl Johan Jepson

5. Mellby Maleficent (Propulsion) — Rikard N. Skoglund

6. Kinky Rain (Muscle Hill) — Johan Untersteiner

7. Pretty Be Linda (Varenne) — Per Lennartsson

8. Panthere d’Inverne (Brillantissime) — Andre Eklundh

9. J.H.Ellen (Winter Harbor) — Stefan Persson

10. O’Hara Bi (Robert Bi) — Robin Bakker

11. Elegance Silvio (Maharajah) — Peter Untersteiner

12. Arctic Angel (Face Time Bourbon) — Magnus Teien Gundersen

$26,000 LOTTERIA HEAT 1

Horse — Trainer

1. Deus Zack — Edoardo Loccisano

2. Always Ek — Alessandro Gocciadoro

3. Denver Gio — Fausto Barelli

4. Dylan Dog Font — Marco Azzaroni

5. Edy Girifalco Gio — Holger Ehlert

6. Ampia Mede Sm — Erik Bondo

7. Click Bait — Alessandro Gocciadoro

8. Bengurion Jet — Alessandro Gocciadoro

$26,000 LOTTERIA HEAT 2

Horse — Trainer

1. Dany Capar — Alessandro Gocciadoro

2. Alrajah One — Marco Azzaroni

3. Usain Töll — Mattia Orlando

4. Bleff Dipa — Holger Ehlert

5. Chance Ek — Fausto Barelli

6. Dubhe Prav — Santo Mollo

7. Banderas Bi — Alessandro Gocciadoro

8. Encierro — Gaspare Lo Verde

$26,000 LOTTERIA HEAT 3

Horse — Trainer

1. Vernissage Grif — Alessandro Gocciadoro

2. Executiv Ek — Alessandro Gocciadoro

3. Emma dei Veltri — Gennaro Casillo

4. Dimitri Ferm — Marco Azzaroni

5. Ideal San Leandro — Richard Westerink

6. Diamond Truppo — Alessandro Gocciadoro

7. Callisto — Mattia Orlando

8. Dali Prav — Fausto Barelli

$200,000 FINLANDIA-AJO

1,620 meters

Horse — Driver

1. Crepe Match — Olli Koivunen

2. Lozano di Quattro — Tobias J. Gustafsson

3. Combat Fighter — Ari Moilanen

4. Decision Maker — Carl Johan Jepson

5. Betting Pacer — Björn Goop

6. Callela Nelson — Hannu Torvinen

7. Double Deceiver — Örjan Kihlström

8. Global Withdrawl — Tommi Kylliäinen

9. Clarissa — Santtu Raitala

10. Mellby Jinx — Daniel Wäjersten