Friday 15th June 2012
32nd and 33rd horse-racing meetings 2012 – 15th and 17th June

by Magnat



Two horse-racing meetings will be held at the Marsa racetrack this week-end.  The first is being held on Friday 15th June starting at 6.30pm and the second on Sunday 17th June at 4pm (somewhat later than usual, due to it being Father’s Day on Sunday).  Friday’s meeting includes eight races, with seven races on Sunday’s race-card, all trot events.


Undoubtedly the highlight of this weekend’s races are five finals (one for each class) from the SECF championships reserved for French trotters on a 2,140m distance, which are being held on Sunday.


The main final is that of the Prix de Vincennes for Premier class trotters.  Here we have nine extremely popular participants which are sure to challenge each other strongly till the end for this top award.


The full list of participants (6 geldings, 2 stallions and 1 mare) is as follows:
1.  Onyx Speed, 10 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro230,670 and a best time of 1’13’5 per kilometre.  It obtained 2 places in its 6 races locally, with a best time of 1’15’5 per kilometre.
2.  Niky du Donjon, 11 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro143,240 and a best time of 1’14’6 per kilometre.  It has 3 wins and 3 places from 13 races in Malta and a best time here of 1’16’2 per kilometre.
3.  Nevaio des Bordes, 11 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro451,217 and a best time of 1’11’9 per kilometre.  It claimed 4 wins and 3 places from its 14 races in Malta and a best time here of 1’15’1 per kilometre.
4. Lady de Vindecy, 13 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro294,170 and a best time of 1’11’9 per kilometre.  It has 4 wins (including the 2010 Premier class Summer Championship) and 3 places from its 9 races locally and a best time here of 1’15’7 per kilometre.
5.  Mark de Chamant, 12 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro305,951 and a best time of 1’12’1 per kilometre.  It won 9 places from its 14 races in Malta and has a best time here of 1’14’8 per kilometre.
6.  Nasko Pride, 11 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro180,260 and a best time of 1’12’4 per kilometre.  It has one win (the Dragonara Tazza l-Kbira Consolation Final) and 4 places from its 6 races in Malta and has a best time locally of 1’15’7 per kilometre.
7.  Milord Barbes, 12 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro231,990 and a best time of 1’14’2 per kilometre.  It has 3 wins and 7 places from its 21 races in Malta and a best time among us of 1’15’0 per kilometre. 
8.  Mig of the Wood, 12 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro432,710 and a best time of 1’12’2 per kilometre.  It has 3 wins (including this year’s Dragonara Tazza l-Kbira and the December Prix de Vincennes final) and 4 places from 9 races in Malta, and a best time among us of 1’15’0 per kilometre.
9.  Label Chouan, 13 year old, with overseas winnings of Euro222,716 and a best time of 1’13’8 per kilometre.  It won 8 times (including the December Prix de Cabourg final) plus 6 places since its debut in Malta nearly 2 and a half years ago, with a best time in Malta of 1’15’0 per kilometre. 


Friday’s meeting consists of eight “normal” trot races for the Silver, Bronze and Copper classes, whilst the first and last race on Sunday are “normal” Bronze and Silver class races.


The Prix d’Enghien (Gold class) promises another high quality final, with nine horses aged between 9 and 13 years, winners of 13 races between them this year, together with 16 places and with most finalists having a best time this year of 1’16’0 per kilometre or better. 


These are Oros de Reve, Osiris des Kids, Podium, Okapi des Dimes, Orlando Tejy, Marini du Mont, Nuevo Musette, Oscar Mati and Le Bolide du Suret.


The Prix de Cabourg (Silver class) final comprises ten horses also aged between 9 and 13 years, which although they have won only 8 races between them this season, have placed an impressive 29 times.  Nine of them have registered a seasonal best time of 1’17’0 per kilometre or better.


The full list of participants is:  Petrus du Vivier, Olifant du Pouy, Notre Allegro, Ollico Pellois, Oregon de la Foret, Poete de la Sarthe, Lutan Villetot, Onwards Star, Pascal d’Ablon and Ocean Brillouard.


The finalists in the Prix de Cagnes Sur Mer (Bronze class) and in the Prix de Caen (Copper class) both involve an age gap between the youngest and the oldest horses of no less than eight years, i.e. between 8 and 16 years. 


The competitors in the Prix de Cagnes Sur Mer are: Parce Que, Noble Candeen, Nympheta de Bisoir, It’s My Way, Kaki du Vivier, Notre Joyeux, November Oaks, Quouky du Soir, Koko Loco and Mambo du Mont.


Those of the Prix de Caen (Copper class) read as follows:  Qualou d’Axel, Mambere, Jibilo du Terme, Icare de Jemma, Mistral du Chene, Lucky Charm, Loulou Noir, Ideal de Suce, Mirage d’Ete, Klein Burois and Minou de Perdriat.


One horse is registered to make its debut in Friday’s meeting, i.e. French trotter Prince de Laurne in the Silver class.


I believe that once a horse is imported into Malta from whichever country, it is adopted by us and become Maltese in spirit.  But with one exception:  whenever it competes in a championship reserved for its country of origin.  Next Sunday is one of these occasions – these horses will again emphasise their French origins, rekindle their past and race exclusively against their own compatriots, this time on Maltese soil.


Last Meetings


A trot and a flat racing final dominated last week’s meetings at the Marsa racetrack.


On Thursday we saw the Sette Giugno Cup final for Premier class trotters on a 2,140m distance.  Oviedo Vici took an early lead which it maintained until it entered the last half lap.  However in the last few hundred metres, it could not resist the attacks of various horses, with Dutch horse Zilver Boko (Tony Demanuele) taking the lead and defending it successfully from Happiness Photo’s strong challenge in the last metres, to notch its sixth seasonal win in its best time in Malta of 1’15’5 per kilometre.


Happiness Photo was runner-up, followed by Wiss Night Hawk and Skip Dimanche.  Fifth-placed Op Le Cosseen also made it to the VOB Cup Final scheduled for the last week of June.


Then on Sunday it was the thoroughbreds’ turn in the MRC Tote Mediterranean Derby final on a 1,750m distance.  Fyelehk took an immediate lead followed by Little Anthony and the remaining four finalists.  However, in the last half lap British mare Sleepwalking (Demis Zammit) attacked strongly and eventually managed to take the lead, dominated the final straight and finished up winning the Mediterranean Derby at its second seasonal success, by over three lengths from Little Anthony and last year’s winner Buttermilk.


We also had a “normal” Premier class race on a 2,140m distance in Sunday’s meeting.  Here Arnie Sensation took an early lead and managed to hold on to it until the end, notwithstanding Maximal Value’s strong attack in the final straight.  It ultimately claimed its thirteenth win in Malta and its second seasonal win by around half a length from Maximal Value, Super Qui and Oscar de la Vallee in a time of 1’17’9 per kilometre.


These meetings also included four Gold class races on a 2,140m distance, which all resulted in horses claiming their first win in Malta. 


In the first, the win went to Why Not As, at its second race in Malta, which took the lead in the final straight and beat runner-up Oolong by less than a length in a time of 1’16’9 per kilometre. 


The next race had various similarities with the first, Love Heart also claiming its first win in Malta.  It took the lead in the final straight and beating runner-up Victory Farming by about two lengths in a time of 1’17’0 per kilometre.


Then on Sunday, the disqualification of the first horse past the post, Niky de Memartin, led to Veikko Hornline claiming the win, a head in front of Reado November, in a good time of 1’15’6 per kilometre.


Finally, Baron G.L. made it a poker of horses registering their first win in the Gold class races when it went in front at the start of the final straight and won by about a couple of lengths from Nous Dix de l’Erve in a time of 1’16’9 per kilometre.


It is also worth mentioning two times of under 1’17 registered in the Bronze class on 2,140m by Emil Brebro (1’16’7 per kilometre) and Kosai LJ (1’16’8 per kilometre), winners’ of their respective races.


Rodney Gatt in Serbia


Last Sunday, Rodney Gatt represented Malta in the Mediterranean Horse Racing Union drivers’ championship leg held in the Beograd track in Serbia.


Rodney was extremely unlucky when Abba, the horse he was partnering, changed pace at the start of the race and was disqualified.  Things that happen.  We thank Rodney for representing Malta and for giving his best effort and are sure that this will also be a useful international experience for him.  Better luck next time!


Driver of the Month Award – May


The Driver of the Month Award for May has been won by Mario Fenech on the basis of the two splendid wins, two runner-up positions and one fourth place he registered during that month from the seven races in which he participated. 


Congratulations Mario – well done!  Many thanks also to Mr David Ellul for supporting this award by sponsoring May’s edition.


The Old Ns


As racing enthusiasts know, French trotters’ names start with a specific letter which varies depending on the year of the horse’s birth.  The names of trotters born in 2001 start with the letter N.


Quite a strong contingent is currently racing in Malta and a fair number has made it to the various finals held this year, including the SECF championships finals.  This reminded me of the “Old Ns”, the previous generation of trotters whose name started with that letter, those born in 1979.


Those were indeed other times even in horse-racing terms.  The horses making their debut in the last three years of the eighties were all French, except for 3.  Whilst over 90% of the current N generation made their debut in Malta aged between 9 and 11, nearly 90% of the previous generation made their debut aged 8 or 9, around 25 years ago.


In Malta, the Ns were a bumper generation, with a substantial number of debutants compared to other years.  I counted 107 Ns compared to 90 of the previous M generation.  Some argue that the successful N generation horses at our racetrack in those years enticed owners to import other quality horses to compete with them.


I cannot comment on each horse in that generation, but as examples, I picked eighteen which for some reason remained stuck in my memory. 


There were two Tazza l-Kbira winners, Nicolas de la Fuye (8 wins and 13 places) in 1988 and Nemo des Bruyeres a year later.  The latter eventually won 16 races plus 21 places but was unlucky to die after winning a 3,180m class A1 race aged only 11 years.


The horse that won most races here in that generation was Neloup, a horse with a decent past in France, which here won no less than 31 races and placed another 66 times (nearly Euro20,000 in prize-winnings) in eight years of racing.  It also won important finals such as the Cisk Lager Final 1988 and the Du Maurier Grand Final 1990.


Various horses had extremely respectable levels of winnings in France, considering the lower levels of race winnings at the time and the younger age at which trotters used to be imported into Malta.
 
Horses such as Nestor d’Estrees (4 wins and 6 places from 23 races in Malta) with nearly 1.2 million French Francs (nearly Euro180,000 today), Nemo des Bruyeres with nearly 800,000 Francs (nearly Euro120,000 today), Neroli de Vaure, Nanterrois (3 wins – including a Cisk Lager Cup in 1989 – in just over one season here) and others comfortably exceeded today’s Euro100,000 mark.  


Neroli de Vaure notched as many as 19 wins and 26 places in 5 years of racing.   Although not as successful in France as the above-mentioned, Neronien was ever so popular here, with 21 wins and 34 places in a career similarly spanning just over 5 years.  It also won many prestigious titles; the 1987 and 1990 VOB Championships, the 1988 and 1989 Hop Leaf Finals and the 1988 and 1989 Farsons Grand Finals.


We also had a few interesting mares.  Three examples are Nargemone and Nini Soyer which each managed 9 wins and various places and Nymphe du Gue which won the Neriku Cup in 1989.


There was such an abundance of successful trotters in that generation!  1990 Bank of Valletta Cup and Coca Cola Cup winner Nid d’Espoir - 14 wins and 47 places, Naldos with its 26 wins (including the Pillow Space Frames Cup 1993) and 48 places, Norfolk’s 21 wins (including the 1991 Hop Leaf Final) and 51 places, Nestor du Marais - 17 wins and 29 places, 1990 Du Maurier (classes A and B) Cup winner Nono Etoile (11 wins and 32 places), Nermont, Nikares and Notre Desir which had 12 wins and various places each, and so many others!


Naturally, every generation has its winners and icons (readers will certainly add more popular names even to the “Old Ns” generation).  However on the eve of these SECF championships finals, I could not help remembering a generation of trotters of calibre that brings me so many memories and nostalgia of the days of my youth! 


As usual, I thank Mr Nicholas Farrugia, the abundant history documentation source, for patiently providing me with so much useful information on the Old N generation.


We wish you two exciting meetings this weekend.