Last year he finished a brave second and was beaten in the very last step of the Sweden Cup - this year he will be in the main race. Chief Orlando is ready for the last Sunday in May.
- He showed class already last year and this year he is ready to take the step up to the next level, says Solvalla's sports director Anders Malmrot.
The sporting treat on Wednesday at Solvalla was The Onion's race which featured several top horses and a very fast start where Chief Orlando eventually got to the lead, but many thought that the run from the beginning had cost too much. The seven-year-old stallion, who is now in training with Pia Huusari, wanted something else and defended himself very bravely when he held off to victory in the fine victory time of 1.09,8 over 1640 meters. An effort that means that Cheif Orlando is now ready for the last Sunday in May - announced Solvalla's sports manager Anders Malmrot on Sunday.
- With the performance and starting speed he has shown, it feels great to invite him, says Anders Malmrot.
Last year when Chief Orlando finished second in the Sweden Cup it was his first appearance during the Elitlopp weekend and now it will be the first time in the main race as he is the third horse to be ready for Elitloppet 2020 at Solvalla.
- I've had him since November and he's always been a nice horse, but on Wednesday I was really impressed and he wasn't actually very taken afterwards," says trainer Pia Huusari.
Facts Chief Orlando
Age: 7 years
Sex: Stallion
Father: Orlando Vici
Mother: Muito Bonita
Start/Result: 64 (18-16-9)
Earned: SEK 3 251 205
Record: 1.09,8 autostart (1640m)
Owners: Esa and Joona Himanen & Toni Sarkama
Coach: Pia Huusari
Nurse: Pia Huusari
Breeder: Jim B Kartevoll & Svein Grödem
Nationality: Finnish
Elitloppet is the main attraction during the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla in Stockholm on May 29-31, 2020. 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.
Invited horses for Elitloppet 2020: Vivid Wise As (Italy), Elian Web (Finland), Chief Orlando (Finland)
For more information contact Anders Malmrot, Sports Director Solvalla, on +46 70 636 00 58
