Glæsner Racing’s Doc Holliday led the way on Sunday evening in a pure show of strength by Danish breeding in the Svenskt Derby. The son of Appel Au Maitre triumphed by a commanding nine lengths from Missing and Bruce Almighty. All three were bred at Stutteri Hjortebo – and at the same time, Niels Petersen’s three Derby candidates finished first, third and fourth.
Turning into the straight, Iben Hjorth Buskop could hardly believe her eyes. Three horses had decisively broken clear of the rest of the field.
Doc Holliday (Appel Au Maitre) was well in front and on his way to Derby glory, while behind him Bettina Andersen’s Missing (Red Cactus) battled side by side with Doc Holliday’s stablemate Bruce Almighty (Appel Au Maitre).
All three horses were born and raised at Stutteri Hjortebo, which here achieved one of the very greatest results in its history.
A historic result that will most likely never be emulated – and the three childhood companions from Bjerringbro earned a combined SEK 1,912,500. It was also the second time within three years that Sweden’s Derby winner was bred at Hjortebo.
In 2024 the stud won with Schamyl, who like Doc Holliday is by Stall Perlen’s former Swedish (and Norwegian) Derby winner Appel Au Maitre (Starborough).
Doc Holliday, owned by Kiri and Tom Glæsner Larsen together with Christian Hill Madsen, was making just the fifth start of his career, and his first win came as recently as June 7, when he comfortably beat Icefall (Juniper Tree) in the Svenskt Derby Trial.
Before that, the bay colt had run twice at Meydan for two sixth places, plus once on Øvrevoll’s dirt track, where he was second to Bruce Almighty over 1,750 metres.
Carlos Lopez, winning the Svenskt Derby for the fifth time, gave his mount a perfect trip on the inside behind the front trio of Voter winner Papa Joe (Kodi Bear), Missing and Bruce Almighty.
Down the back straight Papa Joe’s strength ran out, and suddenly it was the three Hjortebo-breds who had broken completely clear of the rest.
The ante-post favourite, Mr Ascot’s French-trained Tonnant (Romanised), tried hard to shadow Doc Holliday throughout, but Chaves did not get the response he had hoped for when Doc Holliday quickened in earnest.
Tonnant finished fifth behind Doc Holliday, Missing, Bruce Almighty and Bullet Bling (Violence), while the final prize went to the Jan-Erik Neuroth-trained Strike Ten (Alson), the best-placed Swedish-bred runner.
Doc Holliday’s great Svenskt Derby triumph came a year after Kiri and Tom Glæsner Larsen, as strong favourites, had to watch their super mare Queen Azteca (Sharp Azteca) settle for second behind Celtic Lullaby (Juniper Tree) in the same race. Queen Azteca, too, was trained by Niels Petersen and ridden by Carlos Lopez.
It was altogether a wild hour for the Danish couple, who in the race before Doc Holliday’s Derby win had also taken the Listed Valley Chapel Memorial with the five-year-old Lord Mountbatten (Connect).
SEK 1,575,000 onto the prize-money account within 45 minutes. Lord Mountbatten is owned by Kiri and Tom Glæsner Larsen together with Helle and Frank Hansen.
Scandinavia’s reigning champion trainer Niels Petersen had not won with any of his five runners before Sunday’s seventh race.
That was turned thoroughly on its head: after the win with Lord Mountbatten and first, third and fourth in the Svenskt Derby, Petersen and Lopez rounded off the day by winning the Margareta Wettermarks Minneslöpning for the second year running with the five-year-old Easywithme (El Kabeir).
Easywithme wore down Cathrine Erichsen’s Irish Lioness (Invincible Army), while Jan-Erik Neuroth’s Thunder Sea (Night Of Thunder) was third ahead of Capitana Bling (Invincible Army) and Siouxperb Bling (Sioux Nation).
While Carlos Lopez now stands on five Svenskt Derby wins, Niels Petersen is up to four. His first three were Duke Derby (Duke Of Marmalade) in 2014, Nordic Defense (National Defense) in 2018 and most recently Bullof Wall Street (Tapizar) in 2020.
Niels Petersen’s total haul on Sweden’s Derby Day came to SEK 2,507,000 – which, according to the Norwegian journalist Tom W. Johannessen, is a new single-day record for a trainer on the Scandinavian tracks.
The immediate future for Doc Holliday begins with the Bucherer Danish Derby.
A race that looks better and better as it draws closer – and it is highly likely that all of the first three home in the Svenskt Derby will be allowed to meet again at Klampenborg on August 1.
