Winning the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie is no guarantee of winning the Danish Derby. Almost the opposite. Only four ‘winter favourites’ have followed up with a win in the Danish Derby the following year over the past 25 years. Most recently Suspicious Mind in 2015. The trainer with most wins over the last 25 years is Søren Jensen. And among the jockeys Oliver Wilson. And those two are also the partnership behind this year’s favourite for Saturday’s feature race, Stald Shaker’s Cosmopolitan.
As described, only four winter favourites have won the Danish Derby the following year since 2000. Among them are two of the very best Danish-bred horses since the turn of the millennium – Peas and Carrots and Suspicious Mind.
The first was Cut Champion, who won the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie in 2000 and followed up in the Danish Derby the year after.
Cut Champion ran in the Brendholt family’s red/white colours, and he was bred by Stutteri Skovmarken (Aage Gotfredsen).
He was the star of his crop as a 2-year-old, winning five of his six starts. Besides the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie also the Produce Stakes, among others. And as a 3-year-old he had won the Danish 2000 Guineas before the win in the Danish Derby ahead of New York (Richard Of York).
Next in line was the legendary, strikingly handsome Peas and Carrots, who like Cut Champion was also by Final Appearance.
As a 2-year-old Peas And Carrots outclassed all opposition in both the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie and the Svenskt Kriterium, and he wintered as one of the biggest Danish Derby favourites ever. And he won the Danish Derby in 2006 ahead of Django (Acatenango).
Peas And Carrots later won two Group 3 races. Stockholms Stora Pris at Täby in 2010 ahead of Appel Au Maitre and the Scandinavian Open Championship in 2011.
When Peas And Carrots bowed out as a racehorse at the age of nine, it was with 20 wins from 50 starts and more than 6.2 million kroner in the prize money account.
Inchiline, who was trained by Francisco Castro, won the Vinterfavoriternes Ærespræmie in 2008, and the following year it became wins in both the Danish 2000 Guineas and the Danish Derby.
Inchiline was by Songline – just like Halfsong, who won the Danish Derby in 2003 and the Scandinavian Open Championship (Gr.3) in 2006.
The last winter favourite to also become a Danish Derby winner is Suspicious Mind (Appel Au Maitre). On both occasions he won ahead of Elkær Stutteri’s Marlborough (Mastercraftsman).
Suspicious Mind’s list of wins is enormously long. He also won the Danish St. Leger in 2015 and the Dansk Breeders’ Cup the year after.
It became four Listed wins and an impressive three wins in a row in the Scandinavian Open Championship (Gr.3). In 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Like Peas and Carrots, Suspicious Mind had a very long racing career. He ran his last race as a 10-year-old. By then he had won 24 times from 47 starts and earned 4.7 million kroner.
Suspicious Mind finished with a general handicap of 96. One kilo more than Peas And Carrots, who reached a maximum handicap of 95.
WHO HAS WON THE VINTERFAVORITTERNE MOST OFTEN?
Appel au Maitre is the sire of four winners of the Vinterfavoriternes Ærespræmie. Suspicious Mind (2015), Brunello (2020), My Fortune (2023) and Zarina (2024).
Academy Award, who was co-owned by York Stutteri and Stutteri Hjortebo, had three offspring that won the Vinterfavoriternes Ærespræmie. African Award (2010), Silvertown (2011) and Stinger (2014).
And Final Appearance and Richard Of York are both sires of two horses that have won the Vinterfavoritterne since 2000.
The most successful owners are Stald Seaside (2011 and 2012), Kjeldsbjerggaard ApS (2017 and 2018), Miga Horses (2019 and 2020) as well as Mme Fernande, Karn Salling (2003 and 2024), who have all won twice.
The most successful jockeys since 2000.
Oliver Wilson has won the Vinterfavoritterne four times. With Palazzi in 2019, with Charming Knight in 2021 and in the last two years with My Fortune (2023) and Zarina (2024).
Fernando Diaz, Manuel Santos, Manuel Martinez, Per-Anders Gråberg and Carlos Lopez have each won twice.
The Bent Olsen-trained Silverstone (Pistachio) was third in the Danish Derby the year after the Vinterfavoritterne, and on her next start she won the Danish Oaks and later that year the Norsk Oaks. As a 4-year-old she won the Sceptre Stakes ahead of Margrethe (Juniper Tree), her eternal rival.
The most successful trainers since 2000.
Søren Jensen has won the Vinterfavoriternes Ærespræmie six times. Lennart Reuterskiöld three times and Lars Kelp, Francisco Castro, Bent Olsen and Marc Stott twice each.
Søren Jensen won the Vinterfavoritterne four years in a row from 2010-2013 with African Award, Silvertown, Koo Koo Sint and Storm.
THEY DID NOT BECOME DERBY WINNERS, BUT THEY DID WELL.
Most winter favourites have not won the Derby the following year, but many have achieved fine results later in their careers.
Here are some examples. Others have already been mentioned:
The Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie of 2003 will go down in history. The 2-year-old star La Sall (Cajun Cadet) was to meet Lady Clementine (Richard Of York), whom she had beaten in the Danish Criterium.
La Sall was bred by Stutteri Hjortebo, Lady Clementine by York Stutteri.
Both were owned by Karin Saling and both in training with Søren Jensen. This time the roles were reversed, and Lady Clementine with Kim Andersen in the saddle won ahead of La Sall (Jacob Johansen).
As a 3-year-old Lady Clementine won the Jydsk Derby, but it is above all as broodmares that La Sall and Lady Clementine have written themselves into Danish racing history. They both became the dams of Danish Derby winners.
La Sall of Sir Herman (Zoffany), who won the Danish Derby in 2017. She was furthermore the dam of Sir Randolph (Academy Award) and of Sir Camelot (Appel au Maitre), who both won the Breeders’ Prize Sprint at Øvrevoll and the Dansk Breeders’ Cup.
Sir Randolph furthermore won the Danish 2000 Guineas in 2009.
Lady Clementine became the dam of Sir Henry (Academy Award), who won the Danish Derby in 2010.
And Lady Clementine was also the dam of the three outstanding full sisters Silvertown, Harbour Light and Beaufort Twelve, who in Academy Award had the same sire as Sir Henry.
They were all bred by Stutteri Hjortebo. They were all owned by Stald Seaside (Jakobsen og Rasmussen I/S). They were all in training with Søren Jensen, and all three won the Danish Criterium, in 2011, 2013 and 2015 respectively.
Harbour Light and Beaufort Twelve furthermore both became classic winners with wins in the Danish 2000 Guineas and the Svenskt 2000 Guineas.
At the same time they have continued the good work at stud. The now deceased Silvertown became the dam of, among others, Admiralty Law (Appel Au Maitre), who won the Danish Criterium in 2019, and Beaufort Twelve is the dam of Taifuu (Japan), who this year has won the Svealandlöpning at Bro Park and on Sunday runs in the Vinterfavoriternas Pris in Stockholm.
As a 2-year-old Carpe Diem had also won the Svenskt Kriterium, and after the Danish Derby he won the valuable Scandinavian Classic Challenge at Täby and, as a 5-year-old, Kapps Stora Pris.
In 2012 Stald Seaside’s Koo Koo Sint (Mount Nelson) won the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie ahead of the legendary Falconet (Falco).
As a 3-year-old Koo Koo Sint was second in the Mowerinaløb behind Annaboda (Duke Of Marmalade), who was also in training with Søren Jensen.
Later that year it became a win in the Sceptre Stakes. At stud the now deceased Koo Koo Sint is the dam of Kis (Moohaajim), who as a 2-year-old won the Produce Stakes and the Tommy Gustafsson Memorial at Bro Park, and of Kis Me Again (Moohaajim), who won last year’s edition of the Danish Criterium.
My Fortune (Appel au Maitre) won the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie in 2023. He followed up with a win in the Svenskt Kriterium, and he was the highest handicapped 2-year-old in Scandinavia.
As a 3-year-old My Fortune was third in the Danish Derby. And later that year he won first the Danish St. Leger in runaway style and later the Tortue Efterårshandicap by 10 lengths.
This year My Fortune has produced impressive results and worked his way up into the older Scandinavian elite.
He has won the Dansk Breeders’ Cup, the Breeders’ Trophy Mile at Bro Park, and on his latest start at Klampenborg he beat one of Scandinavia’s best older horses for a number of years, Good Fortune, in a quite wonderful close battle, although he received two kilos from him.
My Fortune will remain very interesting to follow in the future.
SO WHO IS TO WINTER AS THE WINTER FAVOURITE THIS YEAR?
Does the historical review of the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie over the last 25 years give a pointer to who wins this year? YES.
Cosmopolitan (Make Believe) was bred by Stutteri Hjortebo, who have won the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie eight times in the last 25 years.
Stutteri Hjortebo have bred four of the winners in the last six years and also the winners of the last two years, My Fortune and Zarina.
Cosmopolitan is owned by Stald Shaker (Jens Ditlev Lauritzen), who won the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie in 2014 with Stinger (Academy Award), who as a 3-year-old won the Breeders’ Prize Classic at Øvrevoll.
Cosmopolitan is trained by Søren Jensen, who has already saddled the winter favourite six times. He is ridden by Oliver Wilson, who has won the Vinterfavoritterne four times, among them the last two editions.
So going by the history of the Vinterfavoritterne, everything points to Cosmopolitan being able to winter as the winter favourite.
But on form and pedigree too Cosmopolitan has a strong case. He is unbeaten in his three starts, the last two in the feature races the Goffs Futurity Stakes and the Danish Criterium.
Cosmopolitan is very well bred. He is by Make Believe (Makfi) and out of Amorine (Montjeu). Make Believe won the French 2000 Guineas as a 3-year-old, and at stud he is the sire of Mishriff, who in his racing career earned more than 100 million kroner and won, among others, the French Derby (Gr.1), the Saudi Cup (Gr.1), the Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr.1) and the Juddmonte International Stakes (Gr.1).
His dam Amorine is out of the Del Mar Oaks (Gr.1) winner Amorama (Sri Pekan), who is a half-sister to the Prix Hocquart (Gr.2) winner Ampere.
Amorine was bought for €21,000 at the 2022 edition of Arqana’s Vente de l’Elevage in Deauville.
Trainer Søren Jensen has pointed out to RaceTime that anything can happen at this time of year. But he emphasises at the same time that Cosmopolitan is a big, strong horse, and that he expects the ground to suit him well.
Six horses line up in the Vinterfavoritterne this year.
Last year Lea Olsen produced a treble with her three classy fillies, Zarina (Appel Au Maitre), Sisi (Wentworth) and Wiggle Wine (Go Go Gadget).
This year too Lea Olsen has a strong team of 2-year-olds, but only one of them, Beethoven (Goken), lines up this year, so a full repeat of last year’s triumph is ruled out.
Beethoven impressed with a commanding win on his last start at Klampenborg. He is owned by Karin Salling, who has already won the Vinterfavoritterne twice.
Flemming Velin trains Daylight (Gleneagles) himself, and he may turn out to be Cosmopolitan’s most dangerous rival.
Daylight made his debut with a commanding nine-length maiden win at Klampenborg, before he was a slightly disappointing fifth in the Danish Criterium. But in Dansk Galop Auktionsløb he was back in the winner’s circle.
The Scandinavian general handicapper Nicholas Cordrey has now begun to put figures on the 2-year-olds, and with 80 in the handicap Daylight is the second highest rated in the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie after Cosmopolitan (82).
Beethoven has been given a handicap of 75 after his last start.
Bent Olsen is represented by Noble Grey (Kahyl), who showed considerable progress when he was second to Lady Medina (Appel Au Maitre) at Klampenborg on 27 September.
And Sandie Kjær has two runners in the Vinterfavoritternes Ærespræmie. L.T. Racing’s Magic Cat (Juniper Tree) was bred by Joca Stable. Magic Cat was third on his debut but subsequently unplaced in Dansk Galop Auktionsløb.
Sandie Kjær’s other runner Need To Know is by the Swedish Derby winner Nordic Defense (Makfi). She was third in the Danish Criterium, but later unplaced in Dansk Galop Auktionsløb.
