Henrik Engblom was untouchable at Bro Park on Tuesday evening, where three of his horses found their way to the winner’s circle – crowned by Nimitz in the biggest race of the day. And the trainer was only a short head away from taking four wins home. Rävdansens Stuteri also had a huge evening as the breeder of two winners, including in the year’s first Swedish two-year-old race.
The day’s biggest first prize of 75,000 Swedish kronor was won by Torgny Karlsson’s five-year-old Nimitz (U S Navy Flag), who together with Carlos Lopez sprinted to his second win in a row in Sundbyholmstravet Klass 2 Handicap over 1,400 metres.
Nimitz was in sixth place round the turn before Lopez found a clear run at the beginning of the straight, and over the final 200 metres there was no doubt. At the line the gelding was almost two lengths ahead of Allegretto (Geniale) in a field of 13 horses.
“Nimitz is a magical horse to have in training. He really knows where the finishing line is”, Carlos Lopez told Svensk Galopp. Nimitz is bred by Stall Sigfridsson.
Before that Engblom and Engla Tunmar had taken care of the year’s first Swedish two-year-old race with Rävdansens Stuteri’s home-bred Notorius (Swipe), who made all and held three-quarters of a length back to Flamboyant (Mustajeeb) – who is also bred at Rävdansen.
In addition to the first prize of 45,000 kronor the win triggered Swedish and maiden bonuses of 68,000 kronor.
“This is a horse with really fine qualities. I have high expectations of Notorius and hope that he can be the two-year-old of the year”, Henrik Engblom told Svensk Galopp.
The Rävdansen party continued in the second division of the Ole Larsen Young Riders Championship, where the stud’s home-bred Saigon (Swipe) – like Notorius with Engla Tunmar in the saddle – led all the way and won by a length ahead of Montauk (Masar).
The seven-year-old gelding thereby took his second win in a row for owner Susanne Brunius, who trained the horse herself last year, but handed him over to Engblom after an injury.
The recipe for the two Tunmar victories was thus completely identical: two Swipe offspring, both born and raised at Rävdansens Stuteri, both trained by Henrik Engblom – and both in front from start to finish.
Engblom’s fourth win was otherwise in the air in the evening’s maiden race over 1,750 metres, where his Danish-bred Desert King (Moohaajim) – with Engblom himself among the owners and bred at Stutteri Hjortebo – fought out a long duel with Sholiah (Palace Pier).
But Stall Poulard’s filly fought back in the final strides and shed her maiden tag by a short head under Jacob Kvisla for trainer Ylva Brandt.
Catharina Vång, on the other hand, could register a training double. First Elione Chaves and Lamnol (Oasis Dream), making his turf debut, secured the 60,000 kronor of the three-year-old race by a neck from the very same Engblom-trained Mable (Elarqam), and in the closing class 3 handicap worth 110,000 kronor Tasmanian Legend (Australia) sprinted to victory under Elin Hedman by half a length from Duke Of Hastings (Juniper Tree).
Tasmanian Legend is owned by Vång’s mother, Ulla Wenell, and was bought at the time for 10,000 pounds in England.
“Now he has really blossomed”, as the trainer noted after the five-year-old’s second win of the season.
From the evening’s other races it should be added that André R. De Oliveira made all to win the first Young Riders division with the Caroline Malmborg-trained Shanghai Maglev (Goken), half a length ahead of Samantha Phi (Appel Au Maitre), and that Anna Pilroth with a full 66 kilos on the back of Dream Desk (Dream Ahead) sprinted to victory in the day’s class 5 handicap.
There was a Danish flavour on the third places too, where the Danish-born Rock Of Hope (Rock Of Gibraltar) was third in the first Young Riders division, while Los Angeles (Juniper Tree) took third prize in the closing handicap.
