41st horse-racing meeting

Last Friday’s return to the races followed a seven week summer break which is inevitable here in Malta given our weather conditions.

However, some positive developments for Maltese horse-racing took place during this break with Malta winning the Mediterranean Trotting Championship through the collective work of the drivers representing our country as well as the success registered by the Maltese contingent of horses which took part in the Malta/Sicily Friendship races at the Ippodromo del Mediterraneo in Siracusa and managed to claim the first three places, with James de l’Iton taking winner’s honours in this prestigious race.

Last Friday there was an interesting meeting with a number of close finishes together with the successful return of monte racing after an absence of a number of years. 

The next meeting involves another balanced all-trotting programme comprising a Copper race, two Bronze races, two Silver races, two Gold races and a Premier class race. This should see more horses endeavour to return back to optimal form and condition after the summer break.

Among the key features of this programme there will be an excellent Premier class race which includes some of Malta’s top horses, such as It-Tazza l-Kbira winner In Vitro du Bourg, VOB Grand Final winner Think Yatzee, Prix de Vincennes winner Madis Boy and other well-known horses such as Joker de Choisel, Bello Fratello, Kakisis, Lovely Mab and Liosco Atout. With a line-up worthy of a final, the race is expected to involve a mighty battle and predicting the winner is a real gamble.
Another race which is likely to involve some interesting duels is the sixth race for top layer Gold class horses, a win for most of which would land them in the Premier class.
The return of nine-year old French horse Nevermind, who has to date won his first six races in Malta. He will be running in the fifth race reserved for Gold Class horses, and is expected to face some stiff competition, given also its second layer number behind the autostart.

Nine new horses are scheduled to make their debut in Malta. This should result in the total number of new horses this year exceeding 180, an excellent number.

Most of the new horses are scheduled to compete in the Bronze, Silver and Gold classes, with two horses, the Swede Key Value and the French Le Bolide du Suret, being scheduled to run in the Premier class. The latter horse was very well-known in France winning no less than Euro385,620 there, making it the second highest prize-winner overseas to be imported into Malta this year.

Le Bolide du Suret is a gelding, foaled by French stallion Fortuna Fant and mare Energie de Floyon and was born on the 15th April 1999.

During its career in France it registered 14 wins and 24 places in second and third place, out of 153 races and it competed in its last race on the 27th December 2009. During its career it was active in both sulky (best time of 1'13'7) and monte' races (best time of 1'11'9) and it registered successes in both disciplines.

A trotter equipped with strong finishing qualities it has recorded some bright performances in short, middle and long distance races.

Among the best performances registered in its career, in 2009:

1. in December, Le Bolide du Suret won the Prix Giffard (monte' - Euro37,500 winnings- race for horses who had not yet won Euro395,000) on 2,850m, at Vincennes;
2. in November, it won the Prix d'Honfleur (monte - Euro37,500 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro365,000) on 2,175m at Vincennes;
3. in September, it placed second in the Prix de la Place Beauvau (monte' - Euro15,000 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro302,000) on 2,875m at Engien;
4, in May, it placed second in the Prix de Viry-Chatillon (monte' - Euro16,000 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro340,000) on 2,700m at Vincennes,
5. in April, it won the Prix le Mans Metropole, (sulky - Euro17,000 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro276,000) on 2,850m at Le Mans,
6. in March, it won the Prix Monoceros (monte' - Euro27,500 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro240,000) on 2,200m at Vincennes,
7. in February, it placed second in the Prix Fan Idole (sulky - Euro 8,000 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro265,000) on 2,800m at Cagnes-sur-Mer.
8. in January, it won the Prix Kaiser Soze (sulky - Euro16,000 winnings - race for horses who had not yet won Euro179,000) on 2,700m at Cagnes-sur-Mer.