Pure Athena dominates Stochampionatet, Kuiper captures St. Michel-Ajo

by Thomas Hedlund

There is little doubt who sits atop Sweden’s 4-year-old filly division.

Pure Athena delivered a breathtaking performance to capture Sunday’s (July 19) $360,000 Stochampionatet at Axevalla, overcoming a seemingly impossible trip to further cement her status as the country’s leading sophomore filly.

The Queen’s Trophy winner and daughter of Bar Hopping was once again slow away from the gate, leaving driver Carl Johan Jepson trailing the field. After 700 meters, Pure Athena wasn’t merely last — she was several lengths behind the back of the pack.

Up front, Dante Kolgjini guided second choice Milady Josselyn to the lead after the opening turn and appeared to control the race.

That changed with approximately 1,450 meters remaining when Jepson launched Pure Athena three-wide. After finally catching the field around the halfway point, the favorite continued her relentless advance.

By the final turn she had already collared Milady Josselyn, and once she straightened for home the outcome was never in doubt. Pure Athena coasted home under minimal urging in a 1:57.1 mile rate for 2,640 meters.

Replay here.

Because she competed under Sweden’s Premiechansen incentive program — which rewards owners who forgo the horse’s 2-year-old premium bonus with increased earnings in selected major races — her winner’s share increased to SEK 1.8 million.

“This was probably the race I’d been looking forward to the most all season, so it’s incredibly satisfying to win it,” Jepson said. “The pace was honest, and having driven in this race before, I knew what it would take. Dante controlled things on the front with Milady Josselyn, but I always felt I had the race under control. I’ve always thought a lot of this filly. She loves the distance, I trusted her completely today, and she proved she’s the best. Everyone on the team should be proud of her.”

Trainer Fredrik Wallin celebrated his second Stochampionatet victory after previously winning the classic with Activated and Jepson in 2019.

“It’s fantastic to have a horse like this,” Wallin said. “To set ambitious goals and then actually achieve them is something special.”

Locally trained Dats Bella (Power) closed strongly from fourth-over to finish second for Claes Sjöström, while Peggy Boko (Robert Bi), from the Paul Hagoort stable, rallied sharply to complete the trifecta.

KUIPER SPRINGS UPSET IN FINLAND’S ST. MICHEL-AJO

A blistering opening quarter gave way to soft middle fractions in Sunday’s $155,000 St. Michel-Ajo at Mikkeli, Finland, but when the sprint home began, Kuiper had the strongest finish.

Don Fanucci Zet left the gate quickest, but Alessandro Gocciadoro aggressively protected the rail with Diva Ek, using assistance from Castor The Star to keep the favorite parked into the opening turn.

After a :26.1 opening quarter, the pace slowed considerably.

Racing fourth-over, Daniel Wäjersten tipped Kuiper (Face Time Bourbon) to the outside with about 650 meters remaining, following Ete Jet into contention before unleashing a powerful stretch rally. Kuiper swept past the game pacesetter to win convincingly in 1:53.4 for the mile.

Replay here.

Don Fanucci Zet never found clear racing room. Örjan Kihlström attempted to angle off the rail entering the stretch, but Santtu Raitala closed the opening, leaving the favorite trapped behind the leader until it was too late. He finished third.

“We wound up last early, then the pace slowed dramatically,” Wäjersten said. “When Santtu pulled out, we were able to follow him, and my horse has an exceptional 200-meter burst. I felt we had them at the top of the stretch. They went very fast early, and the track was demanding today.”

The trainer also praised his stable star’s exceptional pedigree. Eddiction (Cantab Hall—Yankee Blondie), the dam of the winner, is a half-sister to legendary trotting sire Muscle Hill, adding another elite branch to one of harness racing’s most distinguished maternal families.

“You won’t find many horses with a better pedigree. He was clearly the standout of his crop when I received him as a 2-year-old from Stall Courant’s breaking program.”

The victory was the biggest of Kuiper’s career. Already a winner of the Copenhagen Cup this season, the 6-year-old gave Wäjersten victories in all four of Finland’s premier Group 1 events for older trotters: Seinäjoki Race, Finlandia-Ajo, Kymi Grand Prix, and now the St. Michel-Ajo.

ALWAYS EK ADDS ANOTHER GROUP VICTORY

Italian powerhouse Alessandro Gocciadoro continued his remarkable run of major stakes success Saturday (July 18) as Always Ek captured the Group 2 $130,000 Gran Premio del Gargano at Foggia.

Driven by Alessandro Gocciadoro, the son of Filipp Roc launched a first-over move with approximately 1,300 meters remaining, took command one lap from the finish, and never looked back.

Although Dali Prav found room in the stretch to mount a late challenge, Always Ek maintained a comfortable advantage to prevail in 1:53.3. Dali Prav (Donato Hanover) finished second, while Finalmente Par (Varenne) rallied from well back with a three-wide move over the final 550 meters to finish third.

Always Ek has now added another major title to an already distinguished résumé. Earlier this season he captured the Group 1 $250,000 Gran Premio Costa Azzurra, and previous victories include the prestigious Gran Premio della Lotteria, Gran Premio delle Nazioni, Gran Premio Gaetano Turilli, and Gran Premio Tino Triossi.

JEAN-PIERRE DUBOIS WINS AT SAME TRACK 72 YEARS AFTER FIRST VICTORY

Harness racing legend Jean-Pierre Dubois continues to rewrite the record book. The 86-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on July 4, guided his home-trained 3-year-old filly Nancy Bourbon (Face Time Bourbon) to victory Sunday at the grass track in Écommoy.

Nancy Bourbon was making just her second career start after finishing second on debut a week earlier at Rânes, also with Dubois in the sulky. The victory was Dubois’ second as a driver this season, following a May success at Marseille-Borély behind Nalisma (Fabulous Wood).

Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Dubois has recorded nearly 2,500 driving victories, but Sunday’s triumph carried special historical significance.

It came at the very same racetrack where Dubois earned his first career victory back in 1954, when, at just 13 years old, he won a mounted race aboard Faon Kairos (Kairos).

Seventy-two years later, Dubois returned to the winner’s circle at Écommoy once again — a remarkable achievement and, quite possibly, the first time in harness racing history that the same driver has won races at the same track more than seven decades apart.