Inexess Bleu nails it late in Prix des Ducs de Normandie
by Thomas Hedlund
Saturday’s (May 9) $165,000 Prix des Ducs de Normandie at Caen looked for a long time like a showdown between Koctel du Dain and Ino du Lupin, but in the final strides it was Elitloppet-bound Inexess Bleu (Vittel de Brevol) who got his nose in front for Alexandre Abrivard. Inexess Bleu moved up first-over outside leader Koctel du Dain with 1,400 meters remaining, but Abrivard elected to release Ino du Lupin into the death seat roughly 300 meters later. The decisive move came with 200 meters to go. Abrivard angled Inexess Bleu back out and the Laurent-Claude Abrivard trainee finished strongly to prevail in the final strides at odds of 9-1. The winning time was a 1:53.4 mile rate over 2,450 meters.
Ino du Lupin (Scipion du Goutier) grabbed second right on the wire, while Koctel du Dain (Boccador de Simm) held third — both timed in the same mark as the winner.
Igrec de Delland (Django Riff) finished fourth from the pocket trip, while race favorite Idao de Tillard (Severino) closed sharply from fourth-over to grab fifth.
PURE ATHENA DOMINATES IN QUEEN SILVIA’S TROPHY
The 2026 edition of the $200,000 Drottning Silvias Pokal for 4-year-old mares turned into a thrilling affair with constant position changes and aggressive moves throughout the race — everywhere except on the rail up front.
From the inside post, Gourmet d’Arc (Six Pack) defended the lead and Robin Bakker elected to stay there. The leader was pressured throughout by a rotating cast of challengers. First came Princessofthedawn (Maharajah), briefly replaced by Milady Josselyn (Ready Cash), before Jacqueline Zet (Googoo Gaagaa) advanced first-over.
With 1,300 meters remaining, Carl Johan Jepson made his move aboard race favorite Pure Athena (Bar Hopping), who powered up outside the leader before the final lap.
Entering the last turn, Pure Athena had already gained control of Gourmet d’Arc, who folded before the stretch. From there, the Fredrik Wallin-trained filly drew away effortlessly to score in a 1:55.3 mile rate over 2,140 meters.
Jacqueline Zet closed well for second, while Milady Josselyn finished third after a demanding three-wide trip over the final half-mile.
“You almost feel bad because she often has to race tougher trips than the others since she isn’t that quick off the gate,” said an emotional Jepson after the victory.
“When you drive young horses in nearly every start and know how much work goes into them, it affects you. She was in fantastic condition today and the connections have done a tremendous job.”
The victory gave Fredrik Wallin his second career triumph in the prestigious classic for fillies. He previously won the race in 2019 with Activated (Jocose).
WHAT DRAMA IN THE KING’S TROPHY!
Fredrik Wallin or Daniel Redén? Carl Johan Jepson or Johan Untersteiner? It was anything but easy to tell who had actually won this year’s edition of the King Gustav V Cup at Åby.
The Kungapokalen turned into a true thriller where clever driver tactics played a decisive role throughout the race.
Race favorite Wise Guy was out of contention before the gate even released the field. Örjan Kihlström was unable to keep Wise Guy trotting properly in the turn before the starting car accelerated into the stretch, and instead Olle Sting blasted to the lead early.
From an outside post, however, Jepson launched aggressively with Pure Count (Googoo Gaagaa—Allmar Surprise), and Claes Sjöström had no intention of defending the lead with Olle Sting.
Things settled down for a while — until Robert Bergh sent Barkley three-wide with 1,200 meters remaining. The move carried all the way to the front, meaning Barkley sat on the lead with one lap to go, Pure Count in the pocket, and Variegated first-over. Stablemate Blank (Gimpanzee) followed second-over.
On the final backstretch, Untersteiner tipped American-bred Blank three-wide for Redén, and the colt surged toward leader Barkley through the final turn. It even looked as if Blank had seized control when Barkley suddenly broke stride with 300 meters left.
At the same moment Blank began to struggle with his gait, forcing Untersteiner to rely on his delicate hands to keep the colt together. That opened the door for Pure Count to dive through on the inside.
What followed was a furious stretch duel between Pure Count and Blank.
Pure Count fought back along the pylons and regained the advantage — only for Blank to counter again and briefly stick his nose in front. At the wire it was virtually impossible to separate them.
The photo finish, however, favored Wallin, Jepson, and Pure Count.
Both colts were timed in a 1:53.4 mile rate over 2,140 meters. Third place went to Recycle Cash (Ready Cash), who closed strongly for Rikard N. Skoglund.
“I was absolutely certain I’d lost,” Jepson said afterward. “It felt 80–20 in Johan’s favor. I got the trip exactly the way I wanted it, and I was happy when Robban came with Barkley. This is a tough horse who’s earned a lot of money, and it’s incredibly fun to win with him. Winning both major trophies on the same day — trust me, that’s not easy.”
Trainer Wallin added, “I had enormous confidence in Pure Athena today, maybe not quite as much in this one, but Calle was optimistic beforehand and he’s a smart driver. No, this is unbelievable. So incredibly fun.”
A HEAD ABOVE HER GENERATION
It looked like an impossible assignment through the entire first lap.
Then La Yuca (Face Time Bourbon) delivered a breathtaking performance in the $60,000 Lovely Godiva’s Memorial at Åby. The Daniel Redén-trained mare raced four-wide into the first turn and remained parked three-wide until one lap from home, when she was finally allowed to clear to the lead by Magnus A. Djuse aboard Fantastica Doda (Maharajah), who was proving difficult to rate.
La Yuca should have been softened up by that brutal opening mile, but when Örjan Kihlström asked her for more in the final turn, she exploded away from the field and turned the stretch into a one-horse show.
The victory was effortless in a mile rate of 1:55 over 2,140 meters.
“A tough first lap, a better second one, but honestly it didn’t feel great after the opening mile,” Kihlström said after the 300,000 kronor victory. “At least we had cover while racing three-wide, and then we were fortunate that Magnus’ horse was pulling hard and he wanted a helmet to follow. Today she got to show her very best side again, and that was nice.”
Trainer Redén sounded relieved afterward.
“It feels good to have her back,” he said. “It turned into a very strange race. Even so, I still believed in her despite the brutal opening because I know she’s a head above her generation — and today she was only facing other 5-year-olds.”
FRANCESCO ZET BACK ON TOP
Francesco Zet, the superstar trained by Daniel Redén, made his long-awaited return to Swedish soil in Saturday’s $300,000 final of the Paralympiatravet for the older elite — and the now 8-year-old stallion delivered a performance to remember.
Örjan Kihlström drove aggressively behind the son of Father Patrick, and the pair wrested command after just over 500 meters. The pace had already been scorching early, but once on the lead Kihlström elected to keep the tempo high.
Önas Prince (Chocolatier), trained and driven by Per Nordström, was forced to grind away first-over and never surrendered in the battle for victory. Still, Francesco Zet crossed the wire with ears pricked and plenty left in the tank, stopping the clock in a sensational 1:51.4 mile rate over 2,140 meters — just one-10th shy of the world record he himself established in Sundsvall in 2024.
“It’s an incredible feeling to see him this good,” Kihlström said after the victory. “There really haven’t been many times throughout his career when he hasn’t delivered.”
Önas Prince finished second, ahead of Francesco Zet’s stablemate Kentucky River (Father Patrick).
