May 27, 2017 – What a beginning to the Elite Weekend! Huge crowd, fantastic weather, great harness racing…nothing could be better. Stefan Melander’s owned and trained Volstead (6m Cantab Hall-Madame Volo-Yankee Glide) took the Sweden Cup Final (Gr. II, UET Masters Series, 600,000SEK to winner, 1640 meters autostart, nine starters) in Europe’s fastest time of the year 1.09.3kr with Orjan Kihlstrom aboard. The winner traveled in the death seat, as he did winning elimination #3, and eased past chief rival and pacesetter Vasterbo Highflyer (9g Look de Star-Vasterbo Highclass-Pine Chip) and driver Johan Untersteiner nearing the line. The 3.6/1 favorite won his elim, the third, timed in 1.09.7kr ahead of Buzz Mearas, Gabriel Gelormini driving, and Trendy OK with Alesssando Gocciadoro up.
Third in the final was Ringostarr Treb (7m Classic Photo-Farsalo Egral-Supergill) with Wim Paal up for trainer Holger Ehlert, and the next two were Spitcam Jubb and BBS Sugarlight. Ringostarr was the 3/1 winner of elim two clocked in 1.10.1kr, defeating aforementioned Spitcam Jubb (6h Campbell Hall-Lola Spit-Super Arnie) and Fire To The Rain (6g Yankee Glide-Adelaide Hall-Conway Hall). The elims were worth 100,000SEK to those winners.
The other elim, the first, was taken by 12/1 Briedablicks Nubbe (5m Lindy Lane-Wildgirl Boshoeve-Starchip Entrprise), shown below, for driver /trainer Conrad Lugauer timed in 1.09.5kr, that time equaled the European season record when made. Vasterbo Highflyer and BBS Sugarlight were the next two home in that elim.
Volstead
Undercard action included a victory by the Tom Dillon USA bred Seaside Illusion (4f Muscle Hill-Seaside-Yankee Glide) in a conditioned event for four year-old mares, with 100,000SEK to the winner of the 2140 meter autostart event. She was timed in 1.11.9kr for driver Erik Adielsson and trainer Frode Hamre. Gisela de Veluwe and Tour Knight were next.Seaside Illusion
Mares also battled in the Ladt Snarts (200,000SEK to the winner, 140 meters autostart) and the quick 1.10.3kr timed winner was 7.7/1 Shadow Gar (6f Pine Chip-Lady Killer Gar-Varenne) handled by Pietro “Pippo” Gubellini for trainer Erik Bondo and Allev. Garigliano. She made a huge three wide sweep in the final bend and zoomed away to an easy win over Galactica and the tiring Wild Honey. Shadow Gar and Gubellini
Thomas H. Hicks