Niels Petersen has gone into 2025 with a number of unraced classic aspirants who are out at the moment qualifying themselves for bigger assignments. One of them is the American-bred Big Red Bling, and on Thursday evening he overcame a debut that looked difficult on paper without any trouble.
On the first start of his life the chestnut son of Volatile met the Are Hyldmo-trained Light Garden (Almanzor), who during the winter break was imported from France to Norway with a converted general handicap mark of 80.
Big Red Bling was – on dirt at least – the better card over the 1750 metres, and with his ears pricked the colt galloped away easily from his three rivals in the straight and won by seven lengths in the hands of Carlos Lopez.
In second, Light Garden was another 11 lengths ahead of Elegant Rock (Appel Au Maitre), after which there were eight lengths to Realise The Dream (Magna Grecia).
The maiden win was worth NOK 26,163 to the big-spending Bling Enterprise, who this year have spread their many horses widely across the stable complex at Øvrevoll.
“Big Red Bling does remind me a little of Bullof Wall Street. He has been entered late for the Norsk Derby and is also in the Swedish Derby series”, said Niels Petersen after the race.
Petersen bought Big Red Bling himself at last year’s Breeze Up Sale in Doncaster, where the colt had initially been bought back for £19,000.
Big Red Bling is out of the triple winner Shopped Out (Mineshaft) and a half-brother to the Stakes winner Competitive Speed (Competitive Edge).
Both the second and third dams are Stakes winners in the USA, and Thursday’s winning debutant has a thoroughly dirt-oriented pedigree, which is of course worth bearing in mind when the next target is probably the Voterlöpning at Jägersro at the beginning of June.
Niels Petersen and Carlos Lopez incidentally also struck together later in the evening, when Miss Wintown (Mo Town) won on her first start since coming home from Dubai ahead of Macjack (Mutajally) and Buddy Bob (Big Bad Bob).
Another 3-year-old winner at Øvrevoll on Thursday evening was the York Stutteri-bred Paris (Juniper Tree), who in a handicap over 2400 metres won the first start of her life ahead of the hot favourite Star Pakistan (Hallucinate).
Paris is owned by Academia and trained by Lise Tandberg, and the filly is a full sister to the Criterium winner Palm Springs and a half-sister to the Swedish Derby winner Bokan (Soldier Of Fortune).
She was ridden to victory by the in-form apprentice Lorenzo Putzulu and earned the same size of first prize as Big Red Bling.
Like Niels Petersen, Silja Støren had two visits to the winner’s circle at Øvrevoll. First with the hot favourite Corazon De Leon (Slade Power), whom Manuel Martinez rode to an eight-length win in the Country Player Handicap over 1100 metres, and finally with the 3-year-old Gone Surfing (Evasive), who in the ITM Løp beat Heia Pingu (Deceptor) and Hope And Glory (Dandy Man).
In that very race, which was the last of the evening, Carlos Lopez and Ulrika Holmquist fell in two separate incidents. Lopez was thrown by the 3-year-old Shazam Bling (Elzaam) just after the start and fortunately was quickly back on his feet.
Things unfortunately went worse for Ulrika Holmquist and the 3-year-old Mon Amant (Sporting Chance). Mon Amant was injured on the latter part of the back straight, and according to Øvrevoll’s website his life could not be saved.
Ulrika was taken to hospital for a CT scan of her neck and back, but according to the track doctor she was as well as could be expected.
