Lea Olsen secured a double triumph in Stark Fyensløbet on Saturday afternoon, when four-year-old Garlic beat his same-aged stable companion Giovanni Torkdahl by a head. In third came the Niels Petersen-trained Gravity ahead of the three-year-old runners Makaveli and Dr T H G.
Garlic (Outstrip) was ridden to victory by apprentice Mikkel Mortensen, who afterwards had to make a trip up to the stewards’ tower to give his account, after his weighing-room colleague Lorenzo Putzulu lodged an objection after the race with the second horse Giovanni Torkdahl (Lope De Vega).
The stewards quickly concluded that the result should stand, and thus Garlic got his first win since he won Derby Trial Stakes at Klampenborg last year and was named ante-post favourite for the Derby itself.
The victory in the 2300 metre contest was worth 60,000 kroner to Karin Salling.
Garlic was bred by Jenny Katrine Boye at Stutteri Hjortebo, and it was the horse’s mere 10th career start, from which it has now become four wins and total prize money of 148,510 kroner.
Stark Fyensløbet was the third and second-last leg of Elkær Stutteri Fuldblods Fonds ‘Grand Slam Serie’, where the overall winner is awarded a bonus of 100,000 kroner, while there is 50,000 for the runner-up – on top of which come further bonuses of 10,000 and 5,000 Danish kroner to the trainers of the horses in question.
Ahead of the final leg, which takes place at Klampenborg in the shape of Tortue Efterårshandicap, the Fyensløbet runner-up Giovanni Torkdahl leads with 85 points in total, as he also won Racing Arena Aalborg Champion Stakes on 23 August.
The two other series winners, Garlic and Itoldyouso (Go Go Gadget), have 60 points each ahead of the final – so there will really be something to run for in Tortue Efterårshandicap.
Lea Olsen had already taken her first of the Fyensløbet day beforehand in VR Gruppens Ærespræmie over 1650 metres, when Marsk Torkdahl (Make Believe) and Lorenzo Putzulu defeated Longchamp (Evasive) with Nicolaj Stott and the stable companion Sir Antonelli (Most Improved) with Stina Östlund.
Even more wins were stacked up by the local Sarah Langholm Hornstrup, who framed the day with victories for four-year-old Philosophy (Baltic Rock) in Restaurant Bondestuens Ærespræmie and with six-year-old Centurion Red (Lea) in H M Dronnings Ingrids Mindeløb.
Nicolaj Stott was in the irons on the former, Kenny Roussety on the latter.
And in the middle of the programme Stott rode another winner for Hornstrup, when Slava Ukraini’s seven-year-old big sister Sun Lane (Appel Au Maitre) led from start to finish in Elkær Stutteri Fuldblodsfonds Ærespræmieløb and easily relegated Sugar Crust (Barocci) and Waterlily (Wilshire Boulevard) to the next places by four lengths.
Within about half an hour the two full siblings Strauss and Strakowsky ran over the finishing line first in a contest each.
Three-year-old Strauss started off in Scandinavian Open Yearling Sale Fyens 3-års Cup over 1650 metres, where by half a length he defeated the recent Oaks runner-up Sov Gott (Appel Au Maitre) and Good Riddance (Al Shemali) for a first prize of 30,000 kroner.
Strauss is trained by Stine Schäfing on Funen, was ridden to victory by Diego Pedroza and is owned by Søgaard Tømrer-Snedker ApS.
Right after that Strauss’ seven-year-old big brother Strakowsky won Odense Milen over the same distance and for the same first prize.
Strakowsky is trained and part-owned by Tinna Hovgaard, and he won by three quarters of a length ahead of Sandie Kjær’s trio Royal Dane (Wilshire Boulevard), Liberian Girl (Wilshire Boulevard) and Alakay (Wilshire Boulevard).
Both Strauss and Strakowsky are by Go Go Gadget and out of the former Norwegian 1000 Guineas winner Strapina (Stravinsky), who is likewise the dam of the winners Strada, Stratego and Stracciatella – all by Go Go Gadget – as well as of Petrushka (Reliable Man).
All of them were bred at Stutteri Thorskovgaard.
Strakowsky’s winning jockey, Kelvin C. Belcourt, took another winner with him, when he rode Stine and Karsten Johansen’s seven-year-old Good Life (Appel Au Maitre) first past the post in GF Forsikrings Ærespræmie over 2300 metres.
Good Life managed to keep Niels Petersen’s Norwegian visitor Tanooga Bay (Al Shemali) and Stine Schäfing’s Let’s Go Filip (Mondialiste) at bay for a first prize of 17,000 kroner.
It was the fifth career win for the well-made Good Life, who is a daughter of the former Guineas and Oaks winner Good Girl (Mas Media), and the Appel Au Maitre daughter undoubtedly deserves a chance at stud after the end of her racing career.
