U.S.-bred Allegiant smashes world record with stirring 1:48 Elitloppet victory
by Thomas Hedlund
U.S.-bred Allegiant shattered the world record while winning the $1 million Elitlopp final on Sunday (May 31) at Solvalla, going wire-to-wire in an incredible mile of 1:48 in her second race of the day and the first time she has ever raced without shoes.
The 5-year-old daughter of Tactical Landing out of Too Good For You – bred by Atlantic Trot Inc. and Hunterton Farm’s Steve Stewart and now owned by Swedish owner Tobias Persson – not only smashed Sebastian K S’s 1:49 world record for a five-eighths-mile track set at Pocono in 2014, Allegiant also erased Homicide Hunter’s all-time world record of 1:48.4 set at The Red Mile in 2018.
Watch the race replay here.
It is an incredible achievement for Stewart and his partners. Allegiant earned over $1 million in the U.S., won the 2024 Breeders Crown for sophomore trotting fillies at The Meadowlands and was named the Dan Patch winner in her division that same year. Stewart also is a co-breeder and current part-owner of Allegiant’s sire Tactical Landing. He also was a co-breeder of Saturday’s (May 30) Sweden Cup winner Double Deceiver.
Stewart sent a one word text, in all caps, when congratulated on the victory: “AMAZING.”
As for the Elitlopp final itself, the drama began before the start as favorite Idao de Tillard (Severino) drew post 8 and never had a chance. The French superstar made a break before the gate released the field and was effectively eliminated before the race even began.
Don Fanucci Zet (Hard Livin) fired off the gate, but he was powerless to resist Allegiant, charging from post 7.
Allegiant’s driver Örjan Kihlström played his entire hand before the start.
He pulled the Norwegian headgear prior to the gate leaving, turning Allegiant into an absolute rocket.
The opening fractions were almost impossible to comprehend: :25.4 for the first 400 meters and a staggering 1:19.4 for the first 1,200 meters.
Those are numbers rarely, if ever, seen in harness racing.
Allegiant never appeared to slow down.
The American mare should have been exhausted. The race should have been over for her long before the wire.
But it wasn’t.
Instead, Allegiant shrugged off every challenger and continued powering away while maintaining both speed and stride all the way to the finish.
“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in harness racing,” said Kihlström after recording his fifth Elitlopp victory.
“It shouldn’t be possible to reach the finish line after an opening like that.”
What Allegiant accomplished — together with trainer Daniel Redén, caretaker Lina Pergenius and driver Kihlström — is unlikely to be forgotten.
This could go down as one of the greatest harness races ever contested anywhere in the world.
“Holy hell!” said Redén moments after the race. “Yes! No, this can’t be real. I don’t have any words. I smashed the TV in the barn.
“That effort was magical. I told Örjan just to qualify for the final. The plan was always to pull the Norwegian headgear before the start. This is easily the wildest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life in racing.
“I smashed the TV because I thought she was beaten, and then suddenly I heard everybody screaming.”
A little later, speaking to the Solvalla crowd, Redén was somewhat calmer.
“I told Örjan to go from the start,” Redén said. “I’m a realist. When I saw 1:04 for the first 500 meters, I thought it was impossible. I gave up on the race entering the stretch.
“But I’m unbelievably happy. We beat the French on our home track in front of this crowd.”
Allegiant is the first Swedish-owned horse to win the Elitlopp since Redén first won the race in 2021 with Don Fanucci Zet, who finished fifth in this year’s final.
Kihlström’s previous Elitloppet triumphs came with:
From Above (2003)
Magic Tonight (2015)
Nuncio (2016)
Don Fanucci Zet (2021)
He was also first across the wire with Propulsion in 2020.
“It was a pretty decent performance,” Kihlström said jokingly afterward.
“It’s unreal, but we felt she was capable of going very fast. She showed that in her Swedish debut at Örebro last year. It shouldn’t be possible, but the plan was simply to let her run her own race.
“I look like a gorilla right now. Every hair on my body is standing up.”
Allegiant, originally sold to Ryan Smith of Ohio for $50,000 as a yearling at the Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction in 2022, was then sold by Smith for $925,000 U.S. at the North American Standardbred Mixed Sale in Ohio in December of 2024 to Persson, who has invested heavily in the sport. Stewart said he and some partners were the underbidders.
“It feels completely unreal,” Persson said.
“I’m exhausted. I don’t know what to say. Deep down, I felt this could happen, and the feeling right now is unbeatable.
“I’ve spent years sitting in the E-stand screaming during Elitloppet, and now I’m standing here.”
Dream Mine (Maharajah) enjoyed a perfect trip in third throughout the scorching fractions and launched his bid leaving the final turn. Jörgen Westholm’s Derby winner could not erase the gap Allegiant had created, but finished a tremendous second.
Go On Boy (Password) rallied from fifth and produced a spectacular late burst to grab third. When Romain Derieux turned for home, Go On Boy was dead last. To finish third in 1:48.2 was extraordinary.
“It’s completely insane,” Derieux said.
“I go 1:48.2 with Go On Boy and still have no chance of winning. He was outstanding.”
An American mare winning the Elitlopp?
We’ve seen that before.
But it hadn’t happened since Moni Maker (Speedy Crown) won in a world record in 1998.
Before that, another American mare made history when Peace Corps (Baltic Speed) won in 1991 for Swedish trainer Stig H. Johansson.
Mares to win the Elitlopp:
1953 — Frances Bulwark – Sören Nordin
1956 — Gelinotte – Charlie Mills
1957 — Gelinotte – Charlie Mills
1961 — Kracovie – Roger Vercruysse
1963 — Ozo – Roger Massue
1965 — Elma – Johannes Frömming / Jonel Chyriacos
1966 — Roquepine – Jean-René Gougeon / Henri Levesque
1967 — Roquepine – Henri Levesque
1968 — Eileen Eden – Johannes Frömming
1969 — Fresh Yankee – Joe O’Brien
1970 — Eileen Eden – Johannes Frömming
1976 — Dimitria – Léopold Verroken
1991 — Peace Corps – Stig H. Johansson
1998 — Moni Maker – Wally Hennessey / Jimmy Takter
2026 — Allegiant – Örjan Kihlström / Daniel Redén
ELIMINATION RESULTS
When Don Fanucci Zet found the lead in the first heat and was allowed to dictate the pace, much of the battle was already won. In a sharp finish — covering the final 400 meters in :26.3 — he held off a brilliant Dream Mine.
Redén-trained Don Fanucci Zet (Hard Livin—Kissed By the West) was quickest away from the gate, although Clément Duvaldestin briefly challenged with Idao de Tillard before electing to take the pocket after 250 meters. Mats E. Djuse angled Dream Mine out with 200 meters remaining and steadily cut into the leader’s advantage throughout the stretch, but he could never quite reel in Don Fanucci Zet, who stopped the clock in 1:51.3 for the mile.
Joining the winner in the final were Diva Ek (Trixton) and race favorite Idao de Tillard (Severino).
Romain Derieux gave defending champion Go On Boy a good trip from fourth-over, and after a breathtaking stretch rally, the French star captured the second Elitlopp elimination.
Gio Cash held the lead comfortably for Dexter Dunn, while Örjan Kihlström quickly secured the pocket with Allegiant (Tactical Landing), leaving Fine Manners first-over.
French gelding Inexess Bleu (Vittel de Brevol), however, left the gate much sharper than most expected and after 500 meters Alexandre Abrivard had him parked outside Gio Cash. The French tank sat on the favorite’s flank while the pace remained relentless throughout.
After fractions of 1:08.9 for the opening 500 meters and 1:09.2 at the kilometer, the entire field remained tightly grouped entering the final turn.
By then, Romain Derieux had launched Go On Boy from fourth-over, and the defending Elitlopp champion looked formidable sweeping three-wide around the final bend.
The stretch drive became an instant classic. Jobspost (Readly Express) was last turning for home, but unleashed one of the fastest finishes ever seen in Elitloppet history. His :26.1 final quarter while circling the field earned him second place. Inexess Bleu finished third, while Allegiant was trapped behind the fading Gio Cash — who broke stride shortly before the finish — and had to settle for fourth.
LAST TO FIRST FOR GIOVAZ
Last turning for home and first at the wire.
That was the story of Giovaz (Maharajah), who tracked down Mimosa To Martini in the final strides to win the $100,000 4-Year-Old Elite for fillies.
Antonio Di Nardo followed cover three-wide down the backstretch before angling the Alessandro Gocciadoro-trained filly four-wide at the top of the stretch. Giovaz responded with a devastating turn of foot, lowering her lifetime mark by 2.4 seconds in the process.
The daughter of Maharajah has enjoyed a stellar campaign. Earlier this year she captured the Premio Derby dei 4 Anni (€200,200), while her 2-year-old season featured victories in the filly division of the Gran Premio Allevatori (€180,400) and the final of the Anact Stakes Plus+ (€200,200).
Di Nardo unveiled another powerful closer from Alessandro Gocciadoro’s formidable stable when Golden Boy captured the $100,000 4-Year-Old Elite for colts and geldings at Solvalla.
Pure Count and Giotto Ek appeared set to settle the issue between themselves through the stretch, but neither could withstand the late charge of Golden Boy (Maharajah—Sinead Prad), who stormed past in the final strides to score in 1:50.4, equaling the Swedish record for foreign-bred 4-year-old colts and geldings.
Gocciadoro completed an exacta as stablemate Giotto Ek (Vivid Wise As) finished second, while the game pacesetter Pure Count (Googoo Gaagaa) held on well for third after setting the pace.
Golden Boy already owns an impressive résumé. Last season he captured the Group 1 Gran Premio Città di Napoli (€154,000) and also finished runner-up in the colts’ division of the Gran Premio Allevatori behind Ginostrabliggi. Additional highlights include third-place finishes in both the Gran Premio Tito Giovanardi and Premio Derby dei 4 Anni
