Former Danish St. Leger winner New York Strip remains unbeaten over jumps. On Tuesday evening at Bro Park, Tobias Hellgren’s seven-year-old Danish-bred gelding took the Calvados Memorial over 3450 metres for the second year running, and his winning run is now up to nine.
New York Strip (Appel Au Maitre) was ridden by Anna Pilroth and won easily by just under three lengths from stablemate Ghost Town (Go Go Gadget), who in turn had three lengths back to another Hellgren runner, Lionell (Appel Au Maitre).
Tobias Hellgren was thus responsible for four of the five finishers – and for the whole podium.
New York Strip did the job under a full 73 kilos. That was four kilos more than Ghost Town had to carry, and six more than Lionell.
The gelding is now unbeaten in nine starts over jumps, and the SEK 35,000 first prize came his way in the 14th success of his career. He also won the Calvados Memorial last year, on that occasion with 69 kilos.
New York Strip was bred by Nina Falck and Gert Larsen’s Stald Jupiter on Funen and is owned by his trainer together with Danish owners Simon and Lars Jakobsen. Before he was imported to Sweden in 2024, he gave Lea Olsen her first Classic winner when he took the Danish St. Leger at Klampenborg in 2022.
Anna Pilroth and Tobias Hellgren made it a double in the day’s two jumps races. In the Gyllene Hästen steeplechase over 4200 metres, the 12-year-old Ajas (No Risk At All) ran his rivals ragged and won in dominant fashion by nine lengths from Sigyn Dysell’s Monsieur Vic (Lawman), with a further seven lengths back to Karen Kuszli’s Mutadaffeq (New Approach).
That gave Hvitas Stjerna AB’s veteran revenge for the Svenskt Grand National in June, where it was Mutadaffeq who beat him.
Patrick Wahl was the big training name of the evening across the Flat races. In the day’s best-endowed contest, a Class 1 handicap for fillies and mares over 2400 metres on turf worth SEK 150,000, he landed a one-two with the three-year-old Mazikeen (Appel Au Maitre) and the six-year-old Ninasimone (Rio De La Plata).
Mazikeen carried just 52 kilos and, under Alina Öhgren, crossed the line just under two lengths clear of her stablemate, with many lengths back to Annika Sjökvist’s Katie Bairdie (No Nay Never).
On top of the SEK 75,000 first prize, Mace Racing could add a bonus of SEK 30,000.
Wahl completed his training double in the maiden over 2100 metres on dirt, where Jacob Johansen got Approval (Wentworth) off the mark by just under two lengths from Roy Arne Kvisla’s pair King Of Sardinia (Medaglia D’Oro) and Blue Moon (Swipe).
In the two-year-old race over 1200 metres on turf the judge could not separate Jacob Johansen aboard Julian McLaren’s We’regoingtoibiza (Bayside Boy) from Annika Sjökvist’s RayRay (Palace Pier) with Elione Chaves, and the two fillies shared the first prize with SEK 37,000 apiece. A neck away came Purple Memory (Kodi Bear).
Julian McLaren thereby also had a double, for in the Class 2 handicap over 1600 metres on turf Malin Holmberg won on the yard’s Essential (Mustajeeb) in a contest where a field of 11 was separated by margins of half a length, a neck and a head. Patrick Wahl’s Rock Of Hope (Rock Of Gibraltar) filled second under Alina Öhgren ahead of Arctic Defence (Soldier Hollow).
The amateur riders’ race, the Silverhästen over 2350 metres on dirt, went to Maria Andersson, who is breeder, owner and trainer of the seven-year-old Nikki (Appel Au Maitre). Amanda Söderman steered the mare to a half-length success over Caroline Malmborg’s Queens Legend (Giant Sandman), with ten lengths back to Forty Love (Juniper Tree).
Appel Au Maitre had a fine evening at Bro Park all round. Stall Perlen’s former Swedish and Norwegian Derby winner was responsible for three of the day’s winners – New York Strip, Mazikeen and Nikki – as well as the third place with Lionell, and he is also the damsire of Queens Legend.
From Bro Park it should also be noted that Jules Mobian took the Class 5 race over 1400 metres on dirt with Elin Ahlin’s Push The Borders (Bernardini), who beat Nash O’Nality (Starspangledbanner) and Dark Secret (Uppercut Action) easily by just under three lengths.
And in the closing three-year-old race over 1750 metres on turf, Engla Tunmar brought home the win for Henrik Engblom with Mable (Elarqam), who scored comfortably by a length from Ylva Brandt’s Plattan I Mattan (Alson) and Maria Andersson’s Melanit (Devil’s Drink).
