Vittorio de Carly (7g Quaro-Gamine des Sarts) took Thursdays’ Prix de la Place d’Italie (purse €60,000, 10 monte European starters with apprentice jockeys, 2875 meters) at Enghien clocked in 1.15.5kr with Antoine Voisin up for trainer Arnaud Desmottes, and racing shoeless. 23.8/1 Valdenberg (7g Jeanbat du Vivier-Niella Clairchamp) rallied for second for Nils Pacha and trainer Nicolas Raimbeaux. 5.7/1 Titan du Closet (9g Jag de Bellouet-Granada du Closet) lasted for third with Mlle. Audrey Laroche up for trainer Stephane Maunier.
The Prix d’Aix en Provence (purse €50,000, 2250 meters, 13 monte starters) was timed in 1.16.4kr by the winner, 18.4/1 odds, Belina des Agos (5f Prince Gede-Manta de Loc), with Th. Dromigny up for trainer Vincent Lacrox. 12.8/1 Baron Herald (5g Next Kinney-Presty Herold) landed second for Franck Nivard, also trainer, for Ecurie Patrick Aubin. 19.3/1 Broadway Delo (5g Replay Oaks-My Lovely Star) was third with P-Y Verva the jockey
Good action took place July 27 at Ostersund, Sweden that hosted Derby events for the coldbloods. The four year-old Derby mares battled for 450,000SEK first money over 2140 meters autostart, with 2.5/1 BW Gullis (4f Moe Odin-Gullan Fax-Jarvsofaks) the winner. Orjan Kihlstrom was the pilot for trainer Thomas Lann, timed in 1.28.5kr for his fifth victory in 13 career outings. Derby males (four year-olds) raced for 700,000SEK to the winner over 2140 meters autostart. 11.3/1 Mjolner Herkules (4m Horgen Tore-Myrtrolla) scored in 1.24.6kr for trainer/driver Jan Ruan Mjojnerod. The aged coldbloods contested the Sven O. Perssons for 150,000SEK to the winner, over the 2140 meter autostart course. The 1.22.8kr timed winner was .06/1 heavy favorite Manprinsen AM (9m Svall Ivar-Manskara-Jarvsofaks). Trainer Gunnar Melander was the pilot for the winners’ ninth win in 18 starts in 2016.
There were two fine warmblood contests on the Ostersund card. The Diamant Mares (purse 100,000SEK to winner, 2140 meters autostart) went to 3/1 Mellsea Darling (4f Ken Warkentin-Melby Ultra-Viking Kronos) with Sandra Eriksson driving. The 60/1 Nerida (5f Coktail Jet-Inviting Smile-Express Ride) was second for Jan Olaf Johansson. The Klass II over 2140 meters autostart for 100,000SEK to the winner went to 1.8/1 Raja Ribb (4g Raja Mirchi-Joyous Sound-Sugarcane Hanover) for driver Tomas Pettersson.
Thomas H. Hicks