by Magnat
Another race meeting will be held next Sunday 11th May with a long 11 race all-trot programme starting at 1.45pm. Races are on the short 2,140m, except for two “normal” Copper class races on the sprint 1,640m distance.
The main highlights of this race card are the Premier class race, the San Frangisk Cup final for Copper class trotters and two Gold class races.
The Premier class race features thirteen participants including in-form horses such as Zandina Boshoeve, coming from two consecutive wins, Quiet Way with three places in its last three outings, Poppes Fighter placing twice in its last three races, Ego Sanna, runner-up a week ago, Papy de la Potel winner of its penultimate race, Chiara Sisu and Ourasi Diams which placed in their last race and other popular trotters.
The San Frangisk Cup final then puts Copper class trotters in the limelight in order to crown the most competitive horse in this class at present. The 12 participants (eight geldings, two stallions and two mares) consist of six French, three Swedes, two Dutch and German with their ages ranging impressively between 4 (Dreamed Victory) and 18 years (Icare de Jemma). They have won eight times and placed another 19 times between them so far this year.
The full list is as follows: Pout de Quelaines, Noble d’Urzy, Boshoevens Emily, Dreamed Victory, Mirage d’Ete, Esmeralda Run, Claude Carnevale, The Womanizer, Ocean Gede, Icare de Jemma, Uranium des Arkads and Absolutely Meader.
We also have two interesting Gold class races featuring 14 trotters in each. The first includes horses such as New Star D K (two wins and two runner-up places in its four races in Malta), Why Not As and Xray Hornline (both runners-up in their last race), Happiness Photo (winner in its penultimate race), Veikko Hornline (a place in its penultimate race) and other promising participants.
The second race sees in-form horses such as Razor Shadow which is coming from two consecutive wins, Foot Stompin Music (a win and two runner-up places in its last races), Ironbar which won its last race and placed in the one before it, Lost Photo (winner in its penultimate race), Means Nothing which placed in all of its last three outings, Obelix Molgard and Count of Life which placed in each of their last two outings, Laval which placed in its only race in Malta so far, and various other popular horses.
The remaining races are three for the Silver class and two each reserved for Bronze and Copper class trotters. Interestingly in the Copper class we have the rarity of a Maltese trotter making its debut (the first one in 28 years to my knowledge) 5 year old Pupo (son of French Jivaldi d’Hague which used to race in Malta and Maltese mare Dolly). In the same class we also find French newcomer Voila Dry, with Swede Who’s My Daddy being scheduled to debut in the Silver class.
Thus another long and interesting meeting awaits us next Sunday, as we prepare ourselves for two great attractions which are due to be held next week, i.e. the Ladies International Championship on Friday and the start of the Le Trot championships for French trotters on Friday and Sunday; two key events in this year’s racing calendar which we are all looking forward to and which, as is fitting, we will cover in some detail in next week’s edition.
Last Meetings
The last two meetings were packed with important events including two Premier class races, three Gold class races, the semi-finals from the San Frangisk Cup for Copper class trotters and two flat races.
The race distance in the San Frangisk Cup semi-finals was the short 2,140m whilst that for the “normal” trot races was the sprint 1,640m, whilst the flat race distance was that of 1,750m.
It is worth noting the historic result realised by French 11 year old Prieure’ driven by Charles Camilleri in Sunday’s Premier class race on the sprint 1,640m distance, when it shattered the national trot record, realising 1’12’7 per kilometre (0.4 seconds better than the previous record of 1’13’1 per kilometre). This means an average speed of around 49.5 kilometres per hour and it was also the absolute best personal time for Prieure’ in its entire career. Well done indeed!
Premier Class
Original Blue and Quirio Charm took an early lead in Thursday’s Premier class race running head to head between them, with Original Blue taking the lead with 850m to go. However with 350m to go we saw Zandina Boshoeve coming out on the outer lanes and attacking the race leader, managing to go in front at the start of the final straight to claim its second consecutive and third seasonal win in the very good time of 1’13’7 per kilometre (Zandina Boshoeve’s absolute career personal best time), three lengths ahead of Ego Sanna, followed by Utah Hornline and Ourasi Diams.
Totti T. Dream went in the lead at the start of Sunday’s Premier class race setting a strong pace to this race, ahead of various other horses, particularly Zalgado Transs R and German newcomer Isalus.
Zalgado Transs R went ahead with 700m to go, but with 400m remaining we saw Prieure’ advancing in an impressive manner four wide, to attack the race leader in the final straight, going in front in the middle of the straight and sprinting to its first victory in Malta, making history in the process by realising the above-mentioned national record of 1’12’7 per kilometre, a length and a half ahead of Zalgado Transs R, (which also broke the previous national record with a time of 1’13’0 per kilometre), followed by Isalus and Chiara Sisu.
Gold class
Orion du Vaumicel went in front with 1,200m to go in Thursday’s first Gold class race with the situation remaining the same until the last half lap when this horse came under New Star D K’s strong attack, with the latter sprinting brilliantly throughout the final straight to resist Wies Buitenzorg’s final courageous sprint on the outer lanes and claiming its second seasonal win in 1’14’4 per kilometre, a head in front of the said Wies Buitenzorg, followed by Orion du Vaumicel and Nitesco d’Antony.
Oolong went ahead in the early stages of Thursday’s second Gold class race and was the first to enter the final straight. At that stage it came under a determined attack from Lost Photo which went in front in the last few tens of metres to reach the finishing post first.
However, Lost Photo was disqualified for breaking, with Oolong thus claiming its second seasonal and fifth win in Malta in another very good time of 1’13’6 per kilometre (its absolute career personal best time), a length ahead of Why Not As, followed by Quioco Dry and Pan des Couperies.
14 year old veteran Milord Barbes returned to the Winners’ Circle after nearly two years (its fifth in Malta) as it dominated the only Gold class race last Sunday, taking an early lead and then maintaining it throughout, successfully resisting other horses’ attacks in the final straight, particularly those coming from Ollico Pellois, Quintet du Vivier and Obelix Molgard, which finished behind it in that order. The winner’s time was 1’15’8 per kilometre.
San Frangisk Cup semi-finals
On Thursday 1st May we also saw another important appointment with the holding of the four San Frangisk Cup semi-finals reserved for Copper class trotters. The first three from each semi-final made it to the final.
The first semi-final resulted in the second seasonal win for Dreamed Victory which finished around a length ahead of fellow qualifiers Boshoevens Emily and Absolutelymeadow in a time of 1’18’5 per kilometre.
It was then the turn of Pout de Quelaines to return to victory after nearly three years, winning the second semi-final, a length and a half ahead of Claude Carnevale with Esmeralda Run also making it to the final, finishing third. The race time was 1’17’4 per kilometre. We also convey our best wishes to young driver Kerstin Galea for whom this was the first career win.
Mirage d’Ete’ dominated the last 350m of the third semi-final claiming its first win in over a year and a half with a wide margin and these semi-finals’ best time of 1’17’2 per kilometre, with veteran Icare de Jemma and The Womanizer also qualifying for the final.
Ocean Gede also returned to victory after a rather long absence from the Winners’ Circle (two years), winning by three quarters of a length from Uranium des Arkads, which was followed into the final by Noble d’Urzy, in a time of 1’17’4 per kilometre.
Flat races
Enthrall took an immediate lead in Thursday’s Class A flat race, followed by Gold As Good and Kimberley Downs. The situation remained the same until the back straight when Gold As Good overtook the race leader and went in front with 750m to go, but at that stage we saw an impressive acceleration by Kimberley Downs which arrived head to head with Gold As Good with 400m to go.
It went in front a few tens of metres later and then it dominated the remainder of the race to claim its second seasonal, seventh consecutive and fourteenth win in Malta in 1’47’64, ahead of the strong-finishing Zen, followed by Gold As Good.
Sunday’s Class B flat race had little story as Ollie Fliptrik took an immediate lead and retained it throughout the race, increasing its speed in the last half lap to claim its first win in the last year and a half, no less than five lengths ahead of Buttermilk, followed by Bon Santos, in a time of 1’49’62.
Doping test results
Recently the Malta Racing Club has received the results for two further doping tests taken in 2014. Congratulations go to the owners and trainers of Zizazimoko and Quioco Dry, winner and runner-up respectively of the Ray Auto Dealer Challenge Cup final for Silver class trotters held on the 6th April 2014, whose results both confirmed that they were clean from prohibited substances.
Two hundred seconds (Part Two- The Race itself)
Last week I started recounting some points which struck me in this year’s Tazza l-Kbira final and I had arrived literally at the start of the race itself – that race which, merely 200 seconds long, kept everyone on tiptoes with the adrenalin flowing curious to see who will be the winner!
The autostart goes out into the track and makes its way slowly to the finishing post, where it stops for some time as the watch on it counts down the remaining time to start. As the watch reaches the 1 minute mark, the green light on it starts flashing.
The starter, my friend Joe Zerafa, il-Prins, seems to be looking my way in the stands – apparently admiring the enormous crowd and remembering other great occasions from years gone by - and I wave at him. What a fool I am! He naturally can’t see me from so far off and with all the people in the crowd!
In the meantime, the horses make their way slowly to take their positions behind the autostart gates – one can notice their different characters ... some of them are outwardly calm, others are clearly nervous – but I believe that all of them know and can feel around them the excitement and importance of the race they are participating in.
How proud they would be to know that they have qualified to take part in Malta’s race of the year!
The clock is now nearly on zero and Joe Zerafa announces on the microphone “Ara tlaqna!” (“We’re starting!”). Suddenly the crowd seems to go quiet for just a few seconds – the tension palpable across the racecourse - as the autostart starts moving slowly, with the horses all seeking to take their positions behind the number allocated to them.
Some people next to me are asking who is driving whom. I always get confused because they do not refer to the horse by name but by its owner’s nickname which I can never get used to!
In a matter of seconds the autostart picks up speed and suddenly it closes its wings and speeds off, resulting in a valid start to the race. The silence is suddenly over and the crowd erupts – the noise is unbelievable, everybody becoming a commentator for those 200 seconds, seemingly unable to keep his or her feelings to oneself.
For a few seconds France Cassar’s Perceval takes the lead, but Charles Degiorgio on Cloria Victis soon overtakes it and goes in front. Now Cloria Victis gives the race a rather gentle pace and I start hearing comments from the people around me.
After the first mile, those around me consult their stopwatches, in a synchronised manner, giving me the impression that they have done so week in week out for decades!
The man behind me – a true racing expert – comments wisely “If they let Degiorgio impose such a slow pace they will not dislodge him from the lead”. Another comments in the same vein “Someone needs to get out and challenge him if they are to have any chance of beating him!”.
In the meantime, we are at the start of the last lap and now the race pace has truly picked up. Cloria Victis is still in front and now in the backstraight the other horses’ attacks are coming. I am struck by Charles Degiorgio looking at his side and seeing Julian Farrugia’s Oran attacking.
With 400m remaining however, I find myself thinking that the race is over as Cloria Victis takes a commanding lead, notwithstanding the strong efforts of most of the other horses. Everyone around me is agreed and commenting “Mhux se jaqbduh!” (literally “Nobody will reach him!”).
Just before the entry into the final straight I see Charles Degiorgio pulling Cloria Victis’ red earplugs to enable the horse to hear the noise around it - a sign for it to give its all and sprint to the finishing line.
The horse responds with enthusiasm and sprints marvellously to the finishing post at heartbreaking speed.
France Cassar’s Perceval shows its courageous nature and challenges it to the end, whilst Charles Camilleri’s Oltedo de Rieux also gives its very best and Peter Paul Said’s Quiet Way has a brilliant final burst of speed to finish fourth ahead of Julian Farrugia’s Oran, but all eyes in the racecourse are on Cloria Victis and in the last few metres its driver feels sure enough of the win to afford the luxury of stretching himself back in sign of victory.
I am struck by the horse which seems to rise to full length as it crosses the finishing line, clearly proud to have made it!
And then with the race over, as the horses decelerate some tens of metres after the finishing post, another striking moment, as I see Charles Camilleri on Oltedo de Rieux stretching himself to get hold of and shake Charles Degiorgio’s equally stretched hand.
A sign of sportivity as last year’s winner, Camilleri (then on Nabab du Chatelet) seems to symbolically hand over the crown and gives best wishes to this year’s (Degiorgio on Cloria Victis).
In this the Chinese year of the Horse, I can’t help thinking that in this Tazza l-Kbira, it is in a way the Year of the Charles, Charles Degiorgio winning driver, Charles Camilleri, last year’s winner, third placed this year, currently leader of the Drivers’ classification and protagonist with the handshake gesture, Charles Borg, Bank of Valletta Chief Executive Officer and another Charles Borg, owner of winning horse Cloria Victis.
Lorraine Cunningham, commenting the race from the Winners’ Circle, notes that this is the first time in history that a Swedish trotter has won this most prestigious Cup but adds that we need to await the official result.
I find myself thinking that this is also the year of anniversaries, not just the 80th anniversary of the first edition, but also to my knowledge it was exactly 50 years ago (1964) that the last non-French horse (Italian Cerano) won this Cup and 20 years ago (1994) from when Bank of Valletta last sponsored a horse-racing championship.
Did we say 200 seconds at the beginning? How can it be? I have written two articles about them and they are not enough. I will finish off with the third and last part which will cover the post-race events.
We wish you another great meeting next Sunday.
