Ariana Grande had 14,330 people in the audience at Friends Arena last year. Anna-Karin Rundqvist can expect about double that at Solvalla on Sunday. She is the trotting trainer who will sing the national anthem at Elitloppet's inauguration.
When Anna-Karin Rundqvist answered a phone call from Solvalla, she never dreamed of the question she would receive.
- It came as a total surprise. I was of course very happy when Solvalla asked if I wanted to sing the national anthem at Elitloppet's opening and actually also a little moved, says Anna-Karin Rundqvist.
Singing is nothing new for Rundqvist. She is occasionally hired to sing at weddings, funerals and baptisms, but this will be her first time in front of a large audience.
- As a teenager I was in Tiljan's Talanger on Gotland and there were maybe a thousand people in the audience, so this is by far the biggest thing I've done in music. There are usually about 30,000 Elitlopp fans at Solvalla on Sunday and the atmosphere is absolutely magical. I'm really looking forward to this," she says.
Singing at the Elitlopp inauguration is a big deal. But to one day be a participant would be even bigger.
- I haven't exactly had such a good horse that I've been invited to start in Elitloppet, but at least now I get to be part of the inauguration. It is an honor in itself, concludes Anna-Karin Rundqvist with a laugh.
Facts about Anna-Karin Rundqvist
Age: 42
Family: Husband, two daughters, a dog and three cats
Horses in training: 12
Biggest victory: Bison Spiro's victory at Vincennes last summer
Favorite horses: Zoogin and Maharajah and of course all our own.
Best Elitlopp memory: When Nuncio was third in the Elitloppet in 2015 after going third the whole race.
Favorite song: Right now I'm listening to Lisa Nilsson's "Say it again" a lot.
Elitloppet is the highlight of the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla on May 25-27, 2018. Elitloppet is an invitational race where 16 horses compete in two different trials with eight horses in each. The top four in each trial meet in a final where the winner receives three million SEK. Last year, the Elitlopp weekend had over 60,000 visitors, around one million TV viewers on TV4 and TV12 and SEK 373 million in turnover on ATG's betting forms.
Press release from Solvalla 180524
Photo: Joakim Hall, TR Bild
