First Norsk Derby in the second half of August. Then Norsk St. Leger in the first half of September, and on the last day of the first month of autumn, Wido Neuroth, Jan-Erik Neuroth and Stall Perlen struck for the third time in a row with Ami De Vega in Svenskt St. Leger.
Lope De Vega-son won by three-quarters of a length ahead of Bent Olsen’s Irish Fire (Make Believe), who led for most of the 3000 metres on Göteborg’s turf and fought on undaunted all the way to the finishing line – but Ami De Vega is simply – together with Slava Ukraini – the crop’s great turf star, and this time too he could not be beaten.
Behind Irish Fire there were five lengths to Søren Jensen’s strong-finishing Silver Wings (Appel Au Maitre), who in the final metres secured third place by a neck ahead of Lennart J:r Reuterskiöld’s Laughingof Fear (Lope De Vega). Then the last prize money went to Harlekin (Mastercraftsman) and Ray’s Moon (Sea The Moon).
The first prize in Svenskt St. Leger was worth 415,000 Swedish kronor to Stall Perlen, who here saw last year’s Norwegian Criterium winner – and their own breeding – take the season’s fourth win in seven starts, and total earnings have now passed 1.9 million Swedish kronor.
And what a farewell season Wido Neuroth is having as a trainer together with his son Jan-Erik, who is himself only a good month away from hanging up his jockey boots to take over the training business at Øvrevoll.
In addition to Ami De Vega’s three Classic triumphs in 2023, the Neuroth duo together with Stall Perlen have also won Norsk 1000 Guineas with Thunder Sea (Night Of Thunder), and the two horses mentioned have even been third in Svenskt Derby and Svenskt Oaks respectively.
Wido Neuroth has now won 91 Classic races in his more than 50-year-long training career.
