A week after a Derby Day where her horses failed to fire, Lea Olsen got her redemption in Aalborg. She won Saturday’s two most valuable races, the biggest of them the Spar Nord Arena Champion Stakes – the highlight of the year at the track – where Garlic crossed the line ahead of Cloudy Sky and stablemate Giovanni Torkdahl.
Garlic (Outstrip) was ridden by Mikkel Mortensen, and the pair held on by a neck from the Ann-Charlotte K. Wedsgaard-trained Cloudy Sky (Cloth Of Stars). A further length and a half back came Lorenzo Putzulu and Giovanni Torkdahl (Lope De Vega), who like the winner comes from Lea Olsen’s stable.
Barely three lengths covered the first six home, with Tina Mortensen’s The Patriot (Primatico) back in fourth after chasing a fourth consecutive win of the season in vain.
The first prize of 60,000 kroner – out of the race’s total purse of 120,000 – went to Karin Salling. The 5-year-old bay gelding was bred by Jenny Katrine Boye and is out of the Marju mare Tell Mum.
Garlic has long since proved that he belongs in this company. As a 3-year-old he was unbeaten in his first three starts – the last of them the Derby Trial Stakes at Klampenborg in July 2024 – and last year he won Fyensløbet, the biggest race at Fyens Væddeløbsbane. He now heads into the autumn with a handicap mark well on the right side of 80.
Lea Olsen and Mikkel Mortensen rounded off the afternoon by winning the opening leg of Elkær Stutteris Fuldblodsfonds 3-års Serie – a new series for 3-year-olds – in which Viktors Dream (Giant Sandman) beat his stablemate Don Torkdahl (Lucky Vega) by almost three lengths, making it a one-two in the race itself for Lea as well.
Don Torkdahl, for his part, had to fight to the very end for second place, which he secured by a head from Tina Mortensen’s Solaia (Appel Au Maitre).
Both Viktors Dream and Solaia were bred at Stutteri Hjortebo, and the first prize of 25,000 kroner went to Niels Jørgen Bønlykke and Flemming Viktor, who were also presented with a 10,000 kroner voucher from Dansk Galop to be used at next month’s Scandinavian Open Yearling Sale at York Stutteri.
Lea Olsen thus ended the day with two wins, two seconds and two thirds, while Mikkel Mortensen could head home from Aalborg with the riding double in the day’s two biggest races.
The day had opened with a Class 3 handicap over 2,200 metres, in which Tina Mortensen’s well-backed favourite Call Me Al (Al Shemali) and Evelina Rönnlund held on by a neck from Bizou (Zoustar).
The 5-year-old gelding is owned by Sussi Hald and was bred by Berner Olsen, while Mikkel Johansen’s Sugar Crust (Barocci) followed half a length behind Bizou in third.
The second race, likewise a Class 3 handicap but over 1,500 metres, went to the 3-year-old Galileo Charm (Galileo Gold), a comfortable winner by almost three lengths under Nicolaj Stott.
Galileo Charm and Bizou were both bought by Villy Nielsen at the Tattersalls July Sale and carry the colours of Stald Søndervang, and with a win and a second place on the same afternoon, the two new purchases – both trained by Ann-Charlotte K. Wedsgaard – have already paid a quick dividend.
Behind Galileo Charm came Maria Løgtved’s Liberian Girl (Wilshire Boulevard), herself the winner of a Class 3 handicap at Aalborg’s previous fixture on 16 July, and a head behind her followed Lea Olsen’s Samson Torkdahl (Kodi Bear).
In Elkær Stutteris Fuldblodsfonds Ærespræmieløb over 2,000 metres, Tina Mortensen secured a double of her own. Pura Vida (Gustav Klimt) won by three lengths under Diego Pedroza from the Sabina Gammelgård-trained Go Get Excited (Go Go Gadget), while Karsten Johansen’s 9-year-old Totally Convinced (Appel Au Maitre) took third.
The 6-year-old mare is both owned and bred by Lars Chr. Nielsen, who collected a first prize of 30,000 kroner.
In the Class 5 handicap over 1,800 metres, Big Hunter (Juniper Tree) repeated his win from the 16 July fixture. Jytte Løgtved is both trainer and owner of the York Stutteri-bred 5-year-old gelding, who this time was ridden by Kelvin C. Belcourt and fought his way past Lea Olsen’s long-time leader Warrior (Evasive) and Mikkel Mortensen by a neck.
Five lengths further back came Melissa Vesterholm’s 10-year-old Dreaming Of Love (Requinto).
