by Magnat

Two race-meetings will be held this week at the Marsa race track. The first is scheduled for next Thursday, a public holiday (feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck) and the second for Sunday 13th February. Both meetings involve all-trot race-cards commencing at 1.30pm, with Thursday’s comprising nine races and Sunday’s eight races.

Both meetings shall feature the various U*Bet championships finals reserved for Swedish trotters, over 2,140m. Thursday’s meeting will include the Copper, Bronze and Silver class finals in which some extremely competitive horses will take part.

For instance, the Silver class final features various horses coming from excellent performances, such as Prince Brillance, Matador Knick, Energy Launcher and all the others.

The mid-week meeting will also feature a Premier class race over 2,640m in which 14 horses are scheduled to take part, including popular ones such as MRC Festival Grand Final winner Lou Petiot, June Prix de Vincennes winner Madis Boy, Liosco Atout and others.

It also includes 4 new eleven-year old French horses, Major Chaleonnais, Malin Roro, Mon Daniel and Master Perrine. The latter had the highest overseas prize-winnings among them, i.e. Euro 392,360, with 16 race-wins and numerous placings, and a best time of 1’13’4 per kilometre; in 2010 it won at Vincennes, Reims, La Croise’-Laroche and Enghien (1’14’2 per kilometre on 2,150m).

The remaining races will comprise one for each of the Copper, Bronze and Gold classes and two for the Silver class in which two French trotters are scheduled to debut, i.e. Nep and One for Jet.

On Sunday, we have finals for the top two classes. Thirteen horses are registered for the Premier class final, including some of the best Swedish horses in Malta, such as last year’s winner Think Yatzee and other top performers such as Arnie Sensation, Isolated, Lucas Ness and others.

This final also includes ten-year old newcomer Wiss Night Hawk having winnings abroad of SEK 1,483,991, twenty-three race-wins and various placings, and a best time of 1’13’4 per kilometre; its best races in 2010 include a 3rd place at Jagersro race-track and a 1’14’8 per kilometre timing at Halmstad race-track on a 2,140m distance.

The Gold class final includes nine horses some of which have reached the Premier class or are close thereto, i.e. Gentle Way, Livi Cantona, Lover Boy Index and The Big Blue World, recent newcomer Jigsaw, as well as others coming from positive performances, Notice As (two wins and a place), Mint Spirit (two 2nd places), Kosai L.J. and Tornado Hornline (two 3rd places in the last three races).

The other races consist of one for each of the Copper and Gold classes and two for each of the Bronze and Silver classes. Two Swedish horses, i.e. Catch and Smash (Bronze class) and Sweep The Floor (Silver class) are also expected to debut.

The last meeting
The last meeting was dedicated to longer distances of 2,640m for trotters and 1,750m for thoroughbreds.

In the Premier class race, thirteen-year old French trotter Ker Pellois went in front in the final straight and registered its third consecutive win from Lucky Fan, newcomer Bill Boing and Kamis de l’Eveche.

The meeting’s best time of 1’17’5 per kilometre was registered in the Gold class by French twelve-year old L’Un des Olivettes at its first win in Malta, after wrestling it out with the placing horses, Le Major, Midoun du Home and Soren Sufflor.

The Class A flat race was won by new Irish mare Giada Med which went in front in the final straight beating Mean Mr Mustard and Nikos Heriniere. In Class B, the win went to Oliie Fliptrik in front of Genievre and newcomer Salsiane. The winner was partnered by jockey Sarah Borg at her first win after returning from the serious accident she suffered a couple of years ago.

The other wins went to Glowing Star and Ludo Pellois (Copper class), Jeans de Bannes (at its second consecutive win) and Nox Blue (Bronze class) and Natif du Moulin in the Silver class.

Focus on Sweden
This week it is fitting to take a look at the trotting scene in Sweden. Although a few Swedish horses used to be imported into Malta even more than a quarter of a century ago, these imports increased materially in the early nineties. They reached a peak between 1999 and 2001, with an average of about 120 new horses annually. In 2010, Swedish horses constituted 28% of all new horses in Malta, putting Sweden in second place among countries of origin of Malta-based trotters.

Despite a population of less than 10 million people, statistics issued by the Union Europeenne du Trot rank Sweden in third place among its member countries, behind France and Italy and ahead of other European countries, some of them (similarly to France and Italy), having much bigger populations.

For instance, Sweden ranks second in number of racehorses and third in prize-money and in trotting horses bred. There are over 30 race-tracks spread throughout the country, most of which measuring 1,000 metres (similarly to the Marsa race-track).

It boasts legendary horses such as Prix d’Amerique winners Ina Scot (winner of 31 straight races) and Gigant Neo, Victory Tilly (winner of the Elitloppet, the Gran Premio della Lotteria, over Euro4 million in prize-money etc), this year’s Prix d’Amerique runner-up Maharajah and many others.

This is part of the rich heritage brought to Malta by the Swedish horses competing here … we can get a taste of that in the finals being held this week.

We wish you all two exciting meetings this week.