Chacaya won Den Jydske Vinterfavorit — and Tina Mortensen took the next three

The last Danish race day of the year at Jydsk Væddeløbsbane turned into a show of stable dominance. Three of the five races ended with a one-two for the same trainer, and in between Tina Mortensen delivered a true hat-trick. Chacaya (Appel Au Maitre) opened the day by winning Købmand Herman Sallings Mindeløb – Den Jydske Vinterfavorit by a shade under three lengths from her stablemate.

Chacaya confirmed her favouritism

The twelve entries had become four, all fillies, and Lea Olsen had two of them. It became her one-two. Chacaya was backed in to 1.50 and did not disappoint: a commanding shade under three lengths to Priscilla Torkdahl (Appel Au Maitre), from there two lengths to Golden Exposure (Hunter’s Light) and a further eight back to Mocca Queen (Moohaajim).

The Meyn family’s Chacaya is a half-sister to the Swedish Oaks winner Chatarina, and she went into the race with the highest handicap mark of the day, 75 against the 68 carried by Priscilla Torkdahl and Golden Exposure.

Her form said as much: third in Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie at Klampenborg in October and second in Basnæsløb at the season finale there – on both occasions behind Huntington (Hunter’s Light).

The win was her second in six starts, and she ends the year with 164,700 kroner earned.

Diego Pedroza was in the saddle for the first time — Per-Anders Gråberg had ridden her on the previous four occasions. It was the third meeting between the two stablemates; they had one apiece, and Chacaya now leads the series 2-1. Priscilla Torkdahl is still looking for her first win, but has three seconds and a third from five attempts.

Three in a row for Tina Mortensen

Then Tina Mortensen took over the day. First Don Poul (Al Shemali) won the weight-for-age race by just under two lengths from Sligo (Go Go Gadget), while Evan (Evasive) followed a neck away.

For the two-year-old Don Poul it was a first win in only his second start, and he beat older horses.

In the Class 4 final Tina made it a one-two of her own as trainer of both the winner and the runner-up. Pura Vida (Gustav Klimt) won by just under two lengths from his stablemate Solaia (Appel Au Maitre), and just over a length away came Philosophy (Baltic Rock). Pura Vida was the seasoned one in the company — an eighth win in the 40th start of his career, and the third of the year.

The hat-trick was completed in Sprinter Finalen, and it was the tightest finish of the day. Maziyah (Giant Sandman) held Dream On Sally (Girolamo) at bay by a short head, while Callmebymyname (Reliable Man) followed nine lengths later.

Maziyah’s figures deserve spelling out: five starts, four wins and a second. She has never been out of the first two, and she has earned 67,000 kroner doing it. Tina Mortensen owns her together with Kjell Ivar Brekstad, and she was bred by the Johansen family in North Jutland.

For Tina Mortensen it became a true hat-trick with three wins in three consecutive races — and with two different jockeys, as Pedroza rode Don Poul and Maziyah, while Nicolaj Stott was on Pura Vida.

Melissa Vesterholm trained and rode the last winner of the season

The Danish season ended as befitted the day: with another one-two for a single stable. Melissa Vesterholm rode Irish Supreme (Supremacy) to victory herself in Aarhus Store Handicap by just under two lengths from Napoleon (Al Shemali), whom she also trains. A length and a half away came Grey Eminence (Al Shemali), and a neck later Cloudy Sky (Cloth Of Stars).

Irish Supreme is three years old and had only older horses against him — Napoleon and Cloudy Sky are both five, Grey Eminence and Makaveli (Sands Of Mali) four. It was his third win of the year, and it came to settle more than the race.

Appel Au Maitre left his mark on the day as well. He had three of the 24 runners and collected 70,750 kroner through Chacaya, Priscilla Torkdahl and Solaia — more than any other stallion.

The championships, and how they ended

The preview set up two open championships and a title that could change hands in the last race of the day. All three were settled.

The jockeys’ championship went to Nicolaj Stott. Diego Pedroza needed to win four of the day’s five races to go past, and he won three — but Stott settled it himself by taking the Class 4 final with Pura Vida. The final standings were seven wins to six.

The breeders’ championship did change hands. The 12,020 kroner that separated Stutteri Hjortebo and Berner Olsen before the day were turned around: Berner Olsen had five of the 24 runners and collected 35,060 kroner through Don Poul, Napoleon, Grey Eminence and What A Life (Moohaajim), while Hjortebo took 7,000 for Solaia’s second place. The final result was 163,680 against 147,640.

Horse of the Year went to Irish Supreme. He went into the last race of the day on 62 points against Call Me Al’s 77, and he was the only one of the five on the list to run. The win gave him 21 points plus one for the start — 84 in all, and the title.

The trainers’ championship and the owners’ championship were settled in advance and went to Lea Olsen on 687,830 kroner and to Lars Jakobsen and Chris Petersen on 240,000 kroner from a single start with Albarella in Jydsk Derby.

Note finally that Tina Mortensen won 13 races at the track this year against Lea Olsen’s eight — the championship is settled on prize money.