The starting field for Elitkampen at Solvalla could not have had a better start. A dream trio from Sweden, Norway and Finland are ready for the cold-blooded big race that will be decided during Elitlopp on Sunday, May 26.
The Elitlopp weekend at Solvalla is one of the world's largest trotting events with lots of international visitors. Norwegian and Finnish guests usually come in their thousands and a big reason for that is the coldblood race Elitkampen.
This year, the Elitkampen will have a new format. In the past, all horses have been selected on starting points and this will continue to apply to four of the ten participating cold-blooded trotting horses. The remaining six horses, two per cold-blooded nation, will be invited by Solvalla's sports director.
- "I want to be able to guarantee a real national match," says Anders Malmrot, Sports Director at Solvalla. "With this setup, the two most interesting horses from each country will be in the starting field and we start with a real dream trio.
The trio in question are Swedish Månprinsen A.M., Norwegian Lome Brage (winner of Elitkampen 2018) and Finnish Polara (winner of Elitkampen 2017). This year, there is also a significant increase in the prize money in the race. The first prize will be increased from SEK 300,000 to SEK 500,000.
- "With the increased prize money and the new approach, this year's Elitkamp has all the ingredients to be something special," says Anders Malmrot.
Facts Elitkampen:
Number of races run: 33
Most victorious horses: Viesker and Järvsöfaks, 5 victories
Most victorious coach: Jan-Olov Persson, 8 wins
Most victorious drivers: Kaarlo Ahokas and Jan-Olov Persson, 5 victories
Fastest horse: Vitter, 1.18,5 1609a, May 29, 2016
Victories by country: Norway 15, Sweden 10, Finland 8
Press release from Solvalla April 9, 2019.
Photo: Maria Holmén/TR Bild
