A big weekend in Scandinavian racing ended the way it began – with Niels Petersen and Carlos Lopez in the leading roles. Less than 24 hours after their four wins on Derby Day at Klampenborg, the partnership landed the Svenskt Oaks at Jägersro on Sunday afternoon, as Lady Irene made every yard of the running to secure the first prize of SEK 500,000.
Beforehand, the million-kronor contest over 2,400 metres looked a wide-open affair between nine fillies – but once the stalls opened, all doubt was quickly laid to rest.
Lopez resolutely sent Lady Irene (Study Of Man) into the lead, and from that position the Irish-bred filly never surrendered command. At the line there was a comfortable length back to Miss Alti (Lucky Vega), trained by Cathrine Erichsen, and a further three-quarters of a length to her stablemate Bahia Mar (Swipe) in third.
Lady Irene won The Heatherwold Cup on her two-year-old debut at Øvrevoll, but since then her form had amounted to a string of third places at best – until the biggest moment of her career on Sunday.
“We have been waiting to run her over a long trip, and today Carlos rode with great confidence. Lady Irene stays all day, and the Oaks has been her big target all along,” Niels Petersen noted.
The Oaks winner was bred by Ballylinch Stud in Ireland and is owned by Stall United. And third place carried a familiar breeder’s stamp: Bahia Mar was bred at Rävdansens Stuteri and is a full sister to Iron Butterly.
And while we are on the subject of Rävdansen, Berit and Ivan Sjöberg were probably not too disappointed to see the Irish-bred Lady Irene win the Svenskt Oaks – because today they own the filly’s dam, the Galileo mare Special Gal, who later this year has a yearling by State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner) presented at the auction in Stockholm.
Earlier in the day, the shorter sister race to the Oaks, the Altamiralöpning over 1,730 metres worth SEK 400,000, had gone to the Madeleine Smith-trained Zensation (White Soxs), who with Smith herself in the saddle took an easy three-length win from the Niels Petersen pair Bella Flamel (Economic Model) and Tellme Y (Gleneagles), while Karma Bling (Mehmas), the highest-rated in the field, finished last.
The day’s finale, the Malmö Sommarhandicap over 1,730 metres, had a Norwegian flavour instead. The Annike Bye Hansen-trained Hawaii Five O (Kameko) and Evelina Rönnlund – who recently finished second in the Ole Larsen Young Riders’ Championship behind Jacob Kvisla – carried just 54 kilos and won comfortably by three-quarters of a length from Theonello (Appel Au Maitre), with Civilon (Hallucinate) third. The four-year-old son of Kameko is owned by Champagnegaloppen.no.
The day had opened with the maiden race for two-year-olds over 1,000 metres, where High Coast Love (Coulsty) under Elione Chaves won easily by three and a half lengths for trainer Francisco Castro and Stall Höga Kusten.
L.T. Racing filled both second and third with the Irish-breds Nimble Feet (Footstepsinthesand) and Mist At Dawn (Inns Of Court).
Francisco Castro bought the two-year-old High Coast Love for £15,000 at this spring’s Goffs Breeze Up Sale in Doncaster.
