Allaire’s Koctel du Dain wins battle in Paris
by Thomas Hedlund
Koctel du Dain (Boccador de Simm) claimed his third win of the season in Saturday’s (July 26) $165,000 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Vincennes and he did it in great style after a tough homestretch battle against favorite Jabalpur.
The latter impressed a lot when he bested horses like Go On Boy, Keep Going, Iguski Sautonne, and Hussard du Landret in a world record mile rate of 1:50.3 over 1.3 miles.
In Saturday’s race, Jabalpur had to chase leader Koctel du Dain from his second over position and at the top of the stretch, it looked to be a serious battle between the two horses.
Philippe Allaire trained Koctel du Dain, driven by David Thomain, fought back bravely on the inside when Jabalpur went into an extra gear mid-stretch and the last 50 meters were pretty safe for the leading winner.
The 5-year-old Koctel du Dain claimed his 16th win in his 36th start with over $1.3 million banked. He definitely belongs at the top of all French-bred trotters at this moment and he will probably be aimed towards next winter’s meeting in Paris, with the Prix d’Amérique as the big main act.
Saturday’s win was taken in a mile rate of 1:56 over 1.7 miles.
BULLET THE BLUESKY ON THE MARCH TOWARDS THE SWEDISH DERBY
The Swedish Derby for 4-year-olds is the main objective for basically all trotters after their 3-year-old-season and when the crop born in 2021 closed down in December 2024, the king was named Bullet The Bluesky (Readly Express), trained by Daniel Wäjersten.
After victories in the $800,000 Kriteriet and $320,000 Breeders Crown, there was never any doubt who was the most interesting trotter among the 4-year-olds in 2025.
On Thursday (July 24) night, Bullet The Bluesky claimed the $50,000 Norrlands Grand Prix in splendid style from the lead. The Mile rate of 1:53.1 over 1.3 miles was impressive, and a Swedish record by a 4-year-old over the actual distance.
First over trotter, American bred Bright Star was brave as the runner-up.
WÄJERSTEN HAS LUCK ON HIS SIDE IN HUGO ÅBERGS MEMORIAL
Daniel Wäjersten’s horses perform very well in all kinds of races. His fresh trotters and his older elite horses all claim big trophies, and in some of the biggest races for the elite, Wäjersten has been the winner. Gio Cash, Borups Victory and Mellby Jinx are some of his top trotters and when Jägersro plays host to the $320,000 Hugo Åbergs Memorial over 1,609 meters on Tuesday (July 29) night, Wäjersten’s Mellby Jinx drew post 1 behind the gate, as toughest opponents Don Fanucci Zet and Önas Prince had worse luck with the numbers, drawing posts 8 and 10, respectively. Mellby Jinx may be considered the favorite and Wäjersten can very well claim the prestigious race for the second year in a row. He won behind Borups Victory in 2024.
$320,000 HUGO ÅBERGS MEMORIAL 2025
1,609 meters
Horse — Driver
1. Mellby Jinx — Daniel Wäjersten
2. Decision Maker — Björn Goop
3. Dancer Brodde — Johan Untersteiner
4. Bedazzled Sox — Claes Sjöström
5. Double Deceiver — Daniel Redén
6. Staro Mack Crowe — Magnus A. Djuse
7. A Fair Day — Oscar Ginman
8. Don Fanucci Zet — Örjan Kihlström
9. Daim Brodda — Eirik Höitomt
10. Önas Prince — Per Nordström
