Super stakes weekend in Europe

by Thomas Hedlund

It’s a weekend for the ages in European harness racing — the $480,000 European Derby for 4-year-olds in Stockholm on Saturday (Oct. 11), and Italian Derby Day for 3-year-olds in Rome on Sunday (Oct. 12).

Fans could hardly ask for a better lineup than what Solvalla will present on Saturday. The total purse money of $2.6 million (SEK 28 million) exceeds even Elitloppet Day, and many are calling it the best race card ever assembled in Sweden. Saturday’s program features the $500,000 Swedish Oaks for 3-year-old fillies, the $700,000 Swedish Trotting Kriterium for 3-year-olds, the $560,000 UET Elite Circuit final for Europe’s top older trotters, and the $480,000 UET Grand Prix (European Derby) for 4-year-olds.

In addition, Solvalla will host 10 more races, including the V75 finals with a minimum purse of $50,000 each — making it a truly spectacular day of trotting. Headliners include Idao de Tillard, Don Fanucci Zet, Borups Victory, and Inmarosa — stars from across Europe converging on Stockholm for a day to remember.

Meanwhile, the Italian Derby at Rome’s Capannelle Racetrack on Sunday offers an impressive $880,000 purse for 3-year-olds bred in Italy. Top contenders include Ginostrabliggi, Golden Boy, and Guglielmo Jet, who will battle it out over 2,100 meters. In the $280,000 Italian Oaks, trainer Alessandro Gocciadoro conditions six of the 14 starters and will drive the field’s most accomplished filly, Glamour Queen. Older stars will also take center stage in the $165,000 Gran Premio Gaetano Turilli, where Gocciadoro again has six of the 11 starters.

$480,000 UET GRAND PRIX (EUROPEAN DERBY)

2,140 meters / 1-5/16 miles

Dream Mine — Maharajah — Mats E. Djuse — Jörgen Westholm

Bullet The Bluesky — Readly Express — Daniel Wäjersten

Lovino Bello — Village Mystic — Eric Raffin — Thierry Duvaldestin

Preacherman — Father Patrick — Markus B. Svedberg

Far Wise As — Face Time Bourbon — Carl Johan Jepson — Paul Hagoort

First Of Mind — Face Time Bourbon — Alessandro Gocciadoro

Kreadlys Lew — Readly Express — Joakim Lövgren

Marshal — Nuncio — Johan Untersteiner

Lilas Castelle — El Villagio — Benjamin Rochard — Cyrille Buhigne

La Yuca — Face Time Bourbon — Örjan Kihlström — Daniel Redén

Light My Fire — Ready Cash — Franck Nivard — Sébastien Guarato

Frank Gio — Face Time Bourbon — Matthieu Abrivard — Sébastien Guarato

$560,000 UET ELITE CIRCUIT FINAL

2,140 meters / 1-5/16 miles

Always Ek — Alessandro Gocciadoro

Kentucky River — Rikard N. Skoglund — Daniel Redén

Don Fanucci Zet — Örjan Kihlström — Daniel Redén

Staro Mack Crown — Magnus A. Djuse — Mattias Djuse

Mellby Jinx — Mats E. Djuse — Daniel Wäjersten

Inexess Bleu — Alexandre Abrivard — Laurent-Claude Abrivard

A Fair Day — Oscar Ginman — Elisabeth Almheden

Inmarosa — Leo Abrivard — Laurent-Claude Abrivard

Idao de Tillard — Clément Duvaldestin — Thierry Duvaldestin

Betting Pacer — Björn Goop

Charron — Geir Vegard Gundersen

Borups Victory — Daniel Wäjersten

$700,000 SWEDISH TROTTING KRITERIUM

2,640 meters / 1-5/8 miles

Omega River — Tactical Landing — Daniel Wäjersten

Perfect Chest — Perfect Spirit — Örjan Kihlström — Daniel Redén

Wise Guy — Face Time Bourbon — Per Nordström

Knoxville — Nuncio — Magnus A. Djuse — Timo Nurmos

Nightlife In — Day Or Night In — Carl Johan Jepson — David Persson

Zarex — Readly Express — Ulf Ohlsson — Daniel Wäjersten

Ghirardelli — Googoo Gaagaa — Stefan Persson — Per Nordström

Javier Zet — Don Fanucci Zet — Daniel Redén

Eol — Walner — Matthieu Abrivard — Erwin Bot

Pure Count — Googoo Gaagaa — Victor Rosleff — Fredrik Wallin

Moonshot — Chapter Seven — Björn Goop — Marcus Schön

Ruffel — Power — Mats E. Djuse — Hans R. Strömberg

$500,000 SWEDISH OAKS

2,140 meters / 1-5/16 miles

Gifted Kronos — Bold Eagle — Daniel Wäjersten

Pure Stella — Readly Express — Jorma Kontio — Katja Melkko

Bonsse Garde — Makethemark — Rikard N. Skoglund — Fredrik Wallin

Timotejs Online — Face Time Bourbon — Björn Goop

Ursula — Mosaique Face — Adrian Kolgjini

Millenium U.M. — Don Fanucci Zet — Ulf Ohlsson — Sören Lennartsson

Mimosa To Martini — Gimpanzee — Örjan Kihlström — Marcus Schön

Moder Teresa Sisu — Walner — Magnus A. Djuse — Timo Nurmos

Slipstream Zon — Googoo Gaagaa — Carl Johan Jepson — Maria Törnqvist

Mamma Mia Sisu — Walner — Mats E. Djuse — Paul Hagoort

Kobra Brick — Readly Express — Mika Forss — Petri Salmela

Xanthis Kylie — Tactical Landing — Claes Sjöström — Fredrik Wallin

$880,000 ITALIAN DERBY (DERBY ITALIANO DEL TROTTO)

2,100 meters / 1-5/16 miles

Guglielmo Jet — Maharajah — Santo Mollo

Gaudio — Bar Hopping — Dion Tesselaar

Giotto Grif — Nad al Sheba — Federico Esposito

Gabrioz — Maharajah — Örjan Kihlström

Golden Boy — Maharajah — Alessandro Gocciadoro

Gaber Gio — Face Time Bourbon — Francesco Facci

Ginostrabliggi — Muscle Hill — Gabriele Gelormini

Galileo Ferm — Maharajah — Marco Stefani

Giotto Ek — Vivid Wise As — Magnus A. Djuse

Gulliver Joy — Tobias del Ronco — Antonio Simioli

Gandhi Mail — Nad al Sheba — Antonio di Nardo

Golimpio d’Or — Dontyouforgetit — Mario Minopoli Jr.

Gaudi Laksmy — Readly Express — Roberto Vecchione

Galileo Grif — Maharajah — Pietro Gubellini

$280,000 ITALIAN OAKS (OAKS DEL TROTTO)

2,100 meters / 1-5/16 miles

Glamour Queen — Face Time Bourbon — Alessandro Gocciadoro

Goldie Home — Muscle Massive — TBA

Genny L.J. — Dontyouforgetit — Giampaolo Minnucci

Gloria Italia — Nad al Sheba — Andrea Farolfi

Gasoline Bar — Donato Hanover — Santo Mollo

Ginger Wise As — Love You — Antonio di Nardo

Geber’s Dream — Donato Hanover — Magnus A. Djuse

Giava Wise L — Varenne — Francesco Facci

Goccia Prad — Charly du Noyer — Edoardo Bacalini

Gemma Degli Dei — Varenne — Pietro Gubellini

Glen Rose — Six Pack — Vincenzo Luongo

Gilda Gio — Fabulous Wood — Federico Esposito

Glamour Gio — Face Time Bourbon — Örjan Kihlström

Geiles Leben Home — Maharajah — Roberto Vecchione