There is something about Øvrevoll and War Socks. JWC Bloodstock Ltd’s four-year-old colt has now run at the track twice in his life, and he has won both – and in Norway’s two biggest races at that.
Last year’s Norsk Derby was one of them. Marit Sveaas Minneløp (Gr.3) over 1800 metres became the other. War Socks (Kameko) collected the NOK 750,000 first prize in a time of 1.45,4 – faster than the track record of 1.45,7 that Square de Luynes set in August 2021.
Niels Petersen got a one-two into the bargain, because four lengths back came his own Mount Kilimanjaro (Siyouni) in Stall Zuccini’s colours with Carlos Lopez.
A good length further back came Roy Arne Kvisla-trained Grandpa’s Prince (Oasis Dream) in third, while Väsby Häst AB’s Admiral De Vega (Lope De Vega) was fourth and Bling Enterprise’s Icon Bling (Lope De Vega) fifth.
Danish-bred Schamyl (Appel Au Maitre), who won the Norsk Derby in 2024, was sixth.
In the saddle on War Socks was Thore Hammer-Hansen, and it was his very first ride at Øvrevoll. The road there went through two other names: the ride was originally booked for Silvestre De Sousa, then for Robert Havlin, who was in place on the abandoned Derby day on Sunday but had to ride in England on Tuesday. So Niels Petersen secured the defending German champion jockey instead.
The name is not unknown at the track. Thore Hammer-Hansen is the son of Lennart Hammer-Hansen, who won the Norsk Derby three times as a jockey himself – on Bye Bye Loev in 2005, Negra Del Oro in 2006 and Touch Of Hawk in 2009.
The son had an evening to match. Besides the win in Marit Sveaas Minneløp he also rode Glæsner Racing ApS’ Lord Greystoke (Ulysses) into third in the Range Rover Norsk Derby.
Among the others in the field of ten were Stall Perlen’s Zakopane (Zarak) and the German Sommersby (Amaron), who as the only non-Scandinavian runner had stayed on at Øvrevoll after Sunday’s abandonment. They were seventh and tenth respectively.
For Øvrevoll’s 14-time champion trainer Niels Petersen it was the tenth triumph of his career in Marit Sveaas Minneløp (Gr.3). He won the race for the first time in 2012 with Bank Of Burden (Hawk Wing), and the most recent win was recorded in 2024 with Chianti (Zarak).
