Will this be the year Rikke Bonde wins the Danish Derby? It was close with Go On Carlras in 2021. As a trainer Rikke Bonde has already won the Svenskt and Norsk Derby. The Danish Derby looks open this year, and with three good horses lining up, Rikke and her husband Nicolaj Stott, who will be in the saddle on Firstof All, have a strong hand. RaceTime has visited the partnership of Rikke Bonde and Nicolaj Stott. The latter has just won the Svenskt Derby in the saddle on Celtic Lullaby.
A FINE START AS A TRAINER.
Rikke Rohbach Bonde got her professional training licence in 2019. Since then things have moved quickly, and with 30 horses in the stable at the training quarters in Jægerspris, Rikke is today among the very biggest trainers in Denmark.
Besides the two Derby wins in 2021 with Stroxx Carlras (Footstepsinthesand) and the win in the Danish Oaks last year with Lady Macallan (Al Shemali), it has among other things become a win in the Scandinavian Open Championship (Gr.3) in 2023 with Go On Carlras (Harzand).
In 2024 Rikke and Nicolaj won Pramms Memorial (L) with Stroxx Carlras and the Copenhagen Golden Mile (L) with King David (Elusive City), and in 2023 also the Dansk Breeders’ Cup with Sir Camelot (Appel Au Maitre).
NICOLAJ’S DIFFICULT CHOICE.
With three runners, Rikke will probably be the trainer with the most representatives in the Danish Derby 2025. At the time of writing the start list is not known.
But Go Go Flame (Go Go Gadget) with a handicap of 81, Firstof All (Juniper Tree) with a handicap of 80 and Tools Carlras (Al Shemali) with a handicap of 78 are already qualified, and they all take part.
Rikke and Nicolaj find it hard to separate the three, and they emphasised several times during the conversations with RaceTime that they are all fine, good horses, which is why the chances of a win in a Danish Derby 2025 without a clear favourite are definitely there.
”I have chosen to ride Firstof All”, Nicolaj said. ”It is the safest choice for me”.
Go Go Flame will be ridden in the Derby by Elione Chaves, and Tools Carlras gets Per-Anders Gråberg in the saddle.
WILL GO GO FLAME STAY THE TRIP?
Go Go Flame is owned by Arslev Racing and bred by Falkonertjenesten. He is by the Norwegian Derby winner Go Go Gadget (Areion).
He is the first foal out of the lightning-fast sprinter Persona (Kendargent), who reached a maximum handicap of 78 and won four times in her racing career, among them two sprint contests over 650 metres at Klampenborg.
Whether Go Go Flame stays the Derby trip is therefore uncertain.
The grey Go Go Flame did not make his debut until he was a 3-year-old, with second place behind No Surrender, but ahead of Acapulco Sunrise, the later winners of the Svenskt 2000 Guineas and the Jydsk Derby respectively.
”Later Go Go Flame was a satisfactory fourth in the Danish 2000 Guineas”, Nicolaj explained.
Go Go Flame then shed his maiden tag easily in a 3-year-old race over 1600 metres at Klampenborg, before he lined up in the Jydsk Derby over 2150 metres.
Go Go Flame could not beat Acapulco Sunrise, but after a strong finish it became second place ahead of the two Swedish Guineas winners No Surrender and Zarina.
”That could suggest at first glance that he can also stay the Derby trip”, Rikke noted, but added that ”a race at Jydsk Væddeløbsbane over that distance is no guarantee”.
”But Go Go Flame has shown that he can run with the very best of the crop, and he will benefit from his great speed if the race is run to suit him”.
”And it is interesting that there will probably be several offspring of Go Go Gadget in the Derby”, Nicolaj added. The now deceased Go Go Gadget never got the opportunities as a stallion that he might have deserved”.
THE WELL-BRED FIRSTOF ALL WON THE DERBYTESTEN EASILY.
Firstof All is, as mentioned, Nicolaj’s choice for the Bet25 Danish Derby.
She is owned by The JC Organization. She was raised at York Stutteri, and she is home-bred.
Firstof All is by Juniper Tree, who got his first Derby winner this year when Celtic Lullaby won the Svenskt Derby.
Firstof All is the first runner out of the Juddmonte mare First Spirit (First Defense), whom Alice and John Weiste Christensen bought for €80,000 at the 2019 edition of the Goffs February Sale.
Today First Spirit resides as a broodmare at Anna Sundström’s stud in Normandy, where she has been covered by the winner of the Prix de l’Arc (Gr.1), Ace Impact Cracksman).
Firstof All made it to the track only once as a 2-year-old last year, when on 16 October she finished fourth in a maiden over 1600 metres at Jägersro. The race was won by the later Swedish Criterium winner and this year’s Voter runner-up Sir Diamond (Appel Au Maitre).
Firstof All made her seasonal debut on 12 April with second place, narrowly beaten by Golden Dreams (Girolamo), who subsequently followed up with second place behind Wassim (Zarak) in the Danish 2000 Guineas.
Later Firstof All was fifth in the Mowerinaløb, three lengths behind Wiggle Wine (Go Go Gadget).
Firstof All impressed when she won the Derbytesten over 2200 metres at Klampenborg easily on 13 June ahead of the Bent Olsen-trained Sandhurst (Havana Gold), who with Saturday’s narrow defeat by DR T H G (Sottsass) is now also qualified to run in the Danish Derby.
Firstof All’s latest start was in Jockeyklubbens Grand Prix over 2100 metres at Bro Park, where she was ridden by Rafael de Oliviera and finished ninth, but beaten less than five lengths by the winner Karla With A K (Swipe).
”She lost lengths at the start, and she had a bad race”, Nicolaj pointed out.
”Firstof All has already proved at Klampenborg that she stays the trip.
”In a Derby without a certain favourite I think Firstof All has as strong a case as several of the other runners”, Nicolaj believes.
TOOLS CARLRAS A COMFORTABLE WINNER OF THE DERBY TRIAL STAKES
We have to go 10 years back to find a winner of the Derby Trial Stakes who followed up with a Derby win. That may change this year.
It was Manacor (Primatico), who won the Danish Derby in 2015. The winner of the Derby Trial Stakes the year before, Davicii (Panis), incidentally also won the Danish Derby subsequently.
Manacor was trained by Bent Olsen. Davicii by Niels Petersen. Both trainers may be represented in the Danish Derby with several horses, just like Rikke Bonde.
Tools Carlras is owned by Stald Ras and bred by Stutteri Stork.
Pia and Henrik – bringing breakfast – dropped by the stable in Jægerspris while RaceTime was there, to celebrate the Danish Oaks winner Lady Macallan’s latest win over 2200 metres in Gothenburg.
Her next start will also be in Gothenburg over 2400 metres in the Kopparmärralöpning. Lady Macallan is happiest over the longer distances.
That is interesting, because in the winner of the Dubai Duty Free (Gr.1), Al Shemali (Medician), she has the same sire as Tools Carlras.
Tools Carlras is out of Pearl City (Zamindar), who is a half-sister to the late Jeunesse Lulu (Montjeu), who in turn is the dam of the Stutteri Stork-bred King David (Elusive City).
Rikke has five horses in the stable in all that were bred at Stutteri Stork. Besides King David, Tools Carlras and Lady Macallan they are two 2-year-olds, Étoile Noire (Footstepsinthesand), a half-sister to Sir Jeffrey (Hunters Light), and Lili Carlras (Reliable Man).
They are owned by Stald Kabo and Stald Ras respectively.
Tools Carlras mostly ran in strong company as a 2-year-old. He made his debut with fourth place in the Produce Stakes, and he was fifth in the Danish Criterium.
He made his seasonal debut with third place in a maiden, before he took his first win easily in the Derby Trial Stakes, where he wore blinkers for the first time and incidentally lost both his front shoes on the way round.
”He has had trouble with his feet, but he is OK now”, Nicolaj noted.
”It helped to put blinkers on him, and he is on the way up, but perhaps he lacks a little experience”.
”And”, Rikke added, ”we have not seen him in as strong company this year as the other two of our Derby candidates”.
WHO DO YOU FEAR MOST IN THE DERBY?
Rikke and Nicolaj find that question hard to answer.
Both immediately pointed – without being certain – to Niels Petersen’s Go Go Gadget son Grab The Moment.
”But there are many questions to be asked ahead of the Danish Derby 2025”, they pointed out.
Who runs? There are many qualified horses from the other Scandinavian countries, and it is uncertain whom their trainers choose to send to the Danish Derby.
Do the two horses with the highest handicap (No Surrender and Wassim) stay the Derby trip? Might their owners prefer to run them in the Larch Ærespræmie?
Several of the qualified horses with a handicap of 81 or more have not raced at Klampenborg before. Big Chance, Grab The Moment, Sir Diamond and Theonello. How will they handle the track?
What will the going be like? And so on.
The Bet25 Danish Derby looks very open this year. Declarations for the whole Derby day are made on Friday 25 July, and a few hours later we will know the final Derby field.
