Big competitions this weekend in Finland and Sweden
by Thomas Hedlund
Mikkeli in Finland and Årjäng in Sweden will draw the attention of European harness sports fans this weekend.
The $ 140,000 St. Michel-Ajo over the mile in St. Michel is one of the highlights of the summer in Finland and the course was once known as the world’s fastest 5/8 mile course, similar to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono in the USA. The field in St. Michel is not quite as strong as we are used to seeing in the Finnish forests, but still the mile will be run and a classic winner will be crowned.
Sunday (July 17) is the competition date for St Michel-Ajo.
The day before, Årjäng is hosting the course’s biggest race. Årjäng’s Big Sprinter Race of $ 113,000 is on the schedule and the winner will receive a ticket to Jägersros $ 285,000 Hugo Åbergs Memorial (July 26), a race to which some fantastic horses have already been invited.
Vernissage Grif (Alessandro Gocciadoro) starts at Årjäng on Saturday. Kastanjen will try to defend his title in Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp – ALN
Don Fanucci Zet, winner of the Elite Race 2021, is set for Hugo Åberg’s Memorial and Daniel Redén’s 6-year-old will be seen among nine opponents also in Saturday’s race in Årjäng.
Behind him, defending champion Vernissage Grif, trained and driven by Alessandro Gocciadoro, will try to repeat last year’s triumph, this time from post 10.
Horses invited to Hugo Åberg’s Memorial so far: Don Fanucci Zet, Önas Prince, Stoletheshow and Oscar LA
ÅRJÄNG’S LARGE SPRINTER RACE (SATURDAY)
1,640 meters
Horse – rider
1. Floris Baldwin – Kristian Malmin
2. Beartime – Carl Johan Jepson
3. Usain Töll – Björn Goop
4. Millindollarrim – Fredrik B Larsson
5. Bubble Effe – Jorma Kontio
6. Brother Bill – Magnus A Djuse
7. Tycoon Conway Hall – Flemming Jensen
8. Click Bet – Per Lennartsson
9. Don Fanucci Zet – Örjan Kihlström
10. Vernissage Grif – Alessandro Gocciadoro
ST MICHEL-AJO (SUNDAY)
1,609 meters
Horse – rider
1. Run For Royalty – Janne Korpi
2. Esprit Sisu – Daniel Wäjersten
3. Mister Hercules – Örjan Kihlström
4. Next Direction – Hannu Torvinen
5. Global withdrawal – Santtu Raitala
6. Makethemark – Ulf Ohlsson
7. Zeudi Amg – Alessandro Gocciadoro
8. Chapuy – Åke Lindblom