Just a week after his exhibition in SM Classic over 2,100 metres on turf, Madeleine Smith’s nine-year-old Espen Hill impressively went on to win the year’s last Listed Race, Songline Classic, over 2,000 metres on dirt at Bro Park. It was the second Songline Classic triumph for the Helsinki son.
For the second time in a row the Søren Jensen-trained Taifuu and Oliver Wilson came out on top in an open big race at Bro Park. This time the Japan daughter won Mr Ascot Vinterfavoriternas Pris with 225,000 Swedish kronor in first prize for the partnership of Michael Jakobsen and Peter B. Rasmussen.
Mr Ascot Vinterfavoriternas Pris was clearly the main event at Bro Park on Sunday, but five other big races were also run in Stockholm – including three editions of the championships for Swedish-bred horses.
Stall Sigfridsson got another big win as a breeder at Bro Park, when the five-year-old Ninasimone and Carlos Lopez beat the Bloomers’ Vase (L) winner Una Matina by a short head in Appel Au Maitre Stockholm Fillies & Mares Stakes.
Annike Bye Hansen and Elione Chaves took care of the 2025 edition of Mischa Kahns Minneslöpning, when the Kameko son Hawaii Five O beat Niels Petersen’s duo Sign O’The Times and Be Curious.
The day after Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie at Klampenborg, the Swedish counterpart is run at Bro Park. Unlike the Danish version, Mr Ascot Vinterfavoriternas Pris is an open two-year-old race for imports – but two of the highest-rated runners are nevertheless bred in Denmark: Niels Petersen’s Bruce Almighty and Søren Jensen’s Taifuu.
Last Sunday the former Danish St. Leger winner New York Strip opened Stockholm Cup day at Bro Park with a superior triumph in H.M. Drottningens Pris over 3,800 metres. It was a fourth win in a row over jumps for the Appel Au Maitre son, who beat Archie Watson’s English visitor Clearisthewater by 19 lengths.
The Søren Jensen-trained Taifuu, who came there from a second place behind her stablemate Cosmopolitan in the Danish Criterium, was the only representative of Scandinavian breeding in the big two-year-old contest on Stockholm Cup day, Appel Au Maitre Svealandlöpning. And the Japan daughter did the job in style.
Fredrik Reuterskiöld, who currently has just eight horses in training at Jägersro, was moved to tears after Sunday’s triumph in Bro Park Sprint Championship (L), where the four-year-old Lamborghini BF became the first to beat Aphelios on turf in Scandinavia.
For the second year running there was a German triumph in Stockholm Cup International (Gr.3) at Bro Park. This time in the shape of Anna Schleusner-Fruhriep’s six-year-old mare Nastaria, who beat the English Claymore by almost three lengths. Then came the two former Cup winners Espen Hill and Hard One To Please.
After most recently finishing second behind Thunder Sea in the Norwegian equivalent on Derby day at Øvrevoll, Silja Støren’s Norwegian 1000 Guineas winner managed on Sunday to get the better of the best older mile fillies and mares in Scandinavia. Capitana Bling beat Tina Mortensen’s Blueridge Silver by almost four lengths in Lanwades Stud Stakes (L) at Bro Park.
For the second year running the Roy Arne Kvisla-trained Twirling Ghost landed the Listed contest Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning over 1,600 metres at Bro Park. Twirling Ghost took the lead into the straight, and even though he came home on tired legs, he managed to keep Lord Mountbatten at bay by a length.
When Bro Park stages this year’s Stockholm Cup International on Sunday, it will be with a marked international flavour. From England, profiles such as Sir Mark Prescott, Jane Chapple-Hyam, Archie Watson, Kevin Ryan and Tom Clover are sending strong cards to Sweden – all tempted by the big prize money.
The autumn ‘Champions Day’ at Bro Park takes place on Sunday, and Svensk Galopp can be pleased to have attracted international participation in Stockholm Cup (Gr.3), Bro Park Sprint Championship (L), Lanwades Stud Stakes (L) for fillies and mares and the two-year-olds’ Appel Au Maitre Svealandlöpning alike.
Bro Park was coloured red and white on Sunday afternoon, when the Danish-bred horses took the three main events in the Breeders’ Trophy series. No Surrender won the Classic, My Fortune triumphed in the Mile and Bruce Almighty won the Juvenile. All three are bred at Stutteri Hjortebo.
On Sunday the millions in the Breeders’ system roll back to the owners, when Bro Park hosts the annual ‘breeders’ international’ between Sweden, Norway and Denmark. So who comes out strongest in Breeders’ Trophy Juvenile, Mile, Consolation and Classic?
The Julian McLaren-trained Nova Kalejs came out on top in the big contest for two-year-old fillies, ITM Amacitalöpning, at Bro Park on Wednesday afternoon. The Space Blues daughter won the 1,200-metre contest by a neck from Veronika Jandová’s Sweet Sunshine.
After his third place most recently in Challenge Stakes (L), where he also suffered his first defeat of the year, Annike Bye Hansen’s Admiral De Vega was back as number one in Sunday’s Listed contest Lelles Open Mile at Bro Park.
In the hands of Per-Anders Gråberg, Maria Andersson’s Karla With A K coped clearly the best with a messy running of Jockeyklubbens Grand Prix at Bro Park, and the Swipe daughter won comfortably by a length and a half ahead of Grab The Moment and New England.
Sunday’s Listed contest Challenge Stakes at Bro Park had a clear favourite in the Stockholms Stora Pris (Gr.3) winner Admiral De Vega, but the 1,400 metres proved too short, and instead Roy Arne Kvisla’s Aurinko ran off with the first prize ahead of Bent Olsen’s Great Wish.
Madeleine Smith had admittedly questioned whether the stamina would last all 2,600 metres with top weight of 62 kilos on his back, but the former Stockholm Cup winner Espen Hill was back in his best shape when, with the trainer herself in the saddle, he landed Kapps Stora Pris at Bro Park.
The Jockeyklubbens 2000 Guineas – commonly known as the Svenskt 2000 Guineas – is a classic contest for three-year-olds in Sweden, and
The Dianalöpning – the Svenskt 1000 Guineas – is the first classic contest in Sweden for the three-year-old fillies and is run
The Danish colours came, saw and conquered once again in the Swedish classics at Bro Park. It was a double for Stutteri Hjortebo and a treble for Danish breeding, when Bent Olsen’s No Surrender secured the first prize of 400,000 Swedish kronor ahead of Niels Petersen’s duo Wassim and Grab The Moment in Jockeyklubbens 2000 Guineas.