The Violence son Bullet Bling gave enormous promise for his future when he made his debut on Wednesday afternoon with a superior four-length victory ahead of the favourite Papa Joe in Skånelandlöpning at Jägersro.
Bullet Bling and Carlos Lopez were well placed from the start and tracked the leading Warrior Princess (Evasive) and Papa Joe (Kodi Bear).
When Warrior Princess dropped away around the home turn, Bullet Bling moved up alongside Papa Joe, and the two horses came into the straight together, where it quickly became clear that the American-bred debutant would prove the stronger.
Bullet Bling drew clear of Papa Joe easily and won by four lengths, while the strong-finishing Ferrari BF (Mo Town) just failed to reach second place.
Next came Icefall (Juniper Tree) ahead of Irish Supreme (Supremacy) in the last of the prize money.
The victory in Skånelandlöpning was worth 100,000 Swedish kronor to Bullet Bling, who as the name indicates is owned by the Norwegian Bling Enterprise.
The chestnut colt was bought for 60,000 guineas through Edgar Byrne at the spring’s Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up Sale in Newmarket, and that was with an advance entry for Sweden’s Derby series in 2026.
Bullet Bling also has a pedigree that screams out for Jägersro’s – and not least Meydan’s – dirt track.
He is by the Futurity Stakes (G1) winner Violence (Medaglia d’Oro), who so far is the sire of seven individual Grade 1 winners – among them the Florida Derby winner Forte.
The dam, Air Cavalry (Air Force Blue), is a winner as a three-year-old in the USA and a three-parts sister to the Blenheim Stakes (L) winner The Great War (War Front).
The female line also features the Grade 1-winning stallions Bolt d’Oro, Global Campaign and Zensational.
“He already behaves like an old horse. He travelled well here from Øvrevoll, did everything right in the race and simply radiates class”, said trainer Niels Petersen after the victory, and added:
“He is so lucky that he gets sun on his body over the winter, because it has always been the intention that he should join the team going to Dubai. We travel on 14 November and this time it will be with about 10 horses”.
Another breeze-up import who impressed on Wednesday afternoon was Stine Schäfing’s two-year-old Twilight Hero (Twilight Son), who under Diego Pedroza easily beat Like A Tatoo (Gale Force Ten) and Cazadora (Mustajeeb) in a three-horse maiden race over 1,200 metres.
Twilight Hero came there from two previous starts at Klampenborg, where he was first third behind Cosmopolitan (Make Believe) and Sweet Sunshine (Iffraaj), and then fifth behind Albarella (Toronado) and Say Never (No Nay Never).
Now Twilight Hero had his first start on Jägersro’s dirt track, and it will not be the last time Stine Schäfing crosses two bridges to run the bay colt.
“We bought him at the Breeze Up in May, and he was entered for the Swedish Derby series. We hope that he will line up on Derby day over here next year”, said the delighted Danish owner Rune Skov after the victory.
Twilight Hero was bought as a yearling for €10,000 by Morten Buskop Bloodstock at Arqana’s October Yearling Sale in Deauville, and in the spring he was re-offered at the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up, where the Skov family together with Martin Jørgensen bought him for 12,000 guineas.
