Lady Irene won the Erik O. Steen Norwegian Oaks at Øvrevoll on Sunday and became the first horse in the history of Scandinavian racing to win all three Oaks. She won by three-quarters of a length on heavy turf, and the victory came eight days after her owner Morten Aspelund passed away.
Nobody before her
Lady Irene (Study Of Man) took the Swedish Oaks at Jägersro on 2 August by a length and the Danish Oaks at Klampenborg on 5 September by three and a half. On Sunday came the third and final leg.
No horse had won all three before Sunday. Twenty-one fillies have won two of them – eleven the Danish-Swedish double, five the Danish-Norwegian and five the Swedish-Norwegian – and Lady Irene was one of the eleven herself until Sunday.
The most recent was Silverstone in 2019, who took the Danish and Norwegian Oaks for Kjeldsbjerggaard ApS from Bent Olsen’s stable; the Danish-Swedish double has not been seen since Halfsong in 2003.
The three Oaks were also three wins in a row for the three-year-old filly, who now has four wins from nine starts and, with the first prize of 175,000 kroner, has passed a million in earnings.
A double for Study Of Man
Lady Irene broke best in the hands of Carlos Lopez, and the pair led for most of the way. Down the last part of the back straight and around the home turn Miss Hurricane did take over in front, without Lopez showing the slightest concern.
Willa Schou tried hard to make the decisive break with Miss Hurricane, but in the end Lady Irene was the stronger and won by three-quarters of a length. Behind her came Stall Perlen’s Nouvelle Fleur (Study Of Man), and another neck away Miss Hurricane (Quarterback).
Elkær Stutteri’s Jazz (Juniper Tree), second behind Lady Irene in the Danish Oaks, was fourth, three lengths off third place.
The time was 2.43,3. The going was heavy, and the course record of 2.28,8, set by La Isleta in the Norwegian Derby on 21 August 1988, was never in danger. Niels Petersen’s fourth filly in the race, Bahia Mar, was withdrawn in the morning because of the ground.
The first two are by the same sire. Study Of Man provided both the winner and the runner-up, and with 262,500 kroner of the day’s prize money he was the leading sire at Øvrevoll on the day.
“Everything was a celebration”
Morten Aspelund was the man behind Stall United, and he met the filly himself at Klampenborg when she won the Danish Oaks. He passed away on Saturday 3 October.
“Morten was a really good friend of mine and of the whole stable. He often came by to say hello to his horses, and he was the kind of owner a trainer can only dream of. Everything was a celebration when things went well – and when they went badly, he chewed on the disappointment for a moment and said: but next time, I am sure it will be much better!”
“Morten had been looking forward to this day ever since Lady Irene won the Danish Oaks, and it is endlessly sad that he did not get to see it himself”, said a visibly moved Niels Petersen to GalopSport.
Petersen’s third
For Niels Petersen it was a third win in the Norwegian Oaks after Liebling in 2014 and Crack The Sky in 2022, and this year he has trained the winner of all three Scandinavian Oaks with the same filly.
Lady Irene was bred by Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, out of the Galileo mare Special Gal. She won The Heatherwold Cup at Øvrevoll last year – the race that opened Sunday’s card – and she has had Carlos Lopez in the saddle in all three Oaks.
Special Gal is now owned by Rävdansens Stuteri, who bought her for €10,000 at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale before Lady Irene had ever set hoof in Norway.
The win also carries a free covering before 2028 by Stutteri Hjortebo’s Swedish Derby winner Red Cactus (Hard Spun).
Øvrevoll · Norwegian Oaks
The day in numbers
The star of the day
Niels Petersen
Two winners on the day, and one of them made history: Lady Irene became the first horse to win all three Scandinavian Oaks. One race earlier Ides Of March took the Norsk Galopp Sprintløp carrying 13 kilos more than the runner-up. Add fourth in the Oaks with Jazz and three more in the money from seven runners.
2 of 8of the day’s races
30.3%of the day’s prize money
347,210NOK on the day
Carlos Lopez two wins from four rides, all four in the money — NOK 306,925 on the day
Trainerstop 8 by prize money won
| 1 | Niels Petersen | 2 wins | NOK 347,210 | |
| 2 | Jan-Erik Neuroth | 2 wins | NOK 241,500 | |
| 3 | Cathrine Erichsen | 2 wins | NOK 147,370 | |
| 4 | Silja Støren | 0 wins | NOK 114,205 | |
| 5 | Gina Mathisen | 0 wins | NOK 96,100 | |
| 6 | Annike Bye Hansen | 0 wins | NOK 74,165 | |
| 7 | Annette Stjernstrand | 1 win | NOK 31,850 | |
| 8 | Hanne Rådstoga | 1 win | NOK 31,668 |
Jockeystop 8 by prize money won
| 1 | Carlos Lopez | 2 wins | NOK 306,925 | |
| 2 | Oliver Wilson | 2 wins | NOK 242,969 | |
| 3 | Per-Anders Gråberg | 1 win | NOK 117,340 | |
| 4 | Lorenzo Putzulu | 1 win | NOK 105,987 | |
| 5 | Elin Hedman | 0 wins | NOK 79,625 | |
| 6 | Willa Synøve M. Schou | 0 wins | NOK 71,100 | |
| 7 | Evelina Rönnlund | 1 win | NOK 43,316 | |
| 8 | Jacob Kvisla | 0 wins | NOK 42,588 |
Ownerstop 8 by prize money won
| 1 |  Stall United | 1 win | NOK 175,000 | |
| 2 |  Stall Perlen | 1 win | NOK 142,500 | |
| 3 |  Elkær Stutteri | 1 win | NOK 119,000 | |
| 4 |  Harry Nilsen | 1 win | NOK 91,000 | |
| 5 |  Stall GM | 0 wins | NOK 88,100 | |
| 6 |  Team Finn Kristiansen | 1 win | NOK 68,250 | |
| 7 |  Stall Birgitta | 1 win | NOK 64,560 | |
| 8 |  Stall Lillemax | 0 wins | NOK 45,500 |
Sirestop 8 by prize money won
| 1 | Study Of Man (IRE) | 1 win | NOK 262,500 | |
| 2 | Mutajally (GB) | 2 wins | NOK 167,560 | |
| 3 | Appel Au Maitre (FR) | 1 win | NOK 108,500 | |
| 4 | Quarterback (GER) | 0 wins | NOK 96,100 | |
| 5 | Wootton Bassett (GB) | 1 win | NOK 91,000 | |
| 6 | Paco Boy (IRE) | 1 win | NOK 68,250 | |
| 7 | Deceptor (USA) | 1 win | NOK 49,140 | |
| 8 | Slade Power (IRE) | 0 wins | NOK 45,500 |
Breederstop 8 by prize money won
| 1 | Ballylinch Stud | 1 win | NOK 175,000 | |
| 2 | Stall Perlen | 1 win | NOK 142,500 | |
| 3 | Stall GM | 0 wins | NOK 96,100 | |
| 4 | K. O. Arnesen & Black Moon Breeding | 1 win | NOK 95,500 | |
| 5 | Phoenix Thoroughbreds Limited | 1 win | NOK 91,000 | |
| 6 | Stall Elvis | 1 win | NOK 91,000 | |
| 7 | Kenny Kok | 1 win | NOK 68,250 | |
| 8 | Buck Racing | 0 wins | NOK 45,500 |
Trained in
| 1 | Norway47 runners | 7 wins | NOK 1,114,450 | |
| 2 | Sweden4 runners | 1 win | NOK 31,850 |
Foaled in
| 1 | Norway21 runners | 3 wins | NOK 389,058 | |
| 2 | Ireland8 runners | 2 wins | NOK 306,925 | |
| 3 | France6 runners | 1 win | NOK 195,280 | |
| 4 | Sweden6 runners | 1 win | NOK 87,625 | |
| 5 | Denmark7 runners | 0 wins | NOK 83,237 | |
| 6 | Great Britain2 runners | 1 win | NOK 68,250 | |
| 7 | USA1 runners | 0 wins | NOK 15,925 |
Every prize-money placing in each of the eight races counts — not just the winners. The turf was heavy, the dirt track fast. Three horses were withdrawn (Silwan and Bahia Mar because of the going, Angelo barred from the start), so 51 of 54 declared came to post. The Norwegian Oaks and the closing two-year-old race had only four finishers, so NOK 1,146,300 of the 1,168,800 pool was paid out.
Top 8 per category by prize money won. Country of foaling by the country code in the result list (no code = Norway).
GalopSport.dkSource: Norsk Galopp’s result list and Øvrevoll’s racecard
