There will be Italians in eleventh place at the world's biggest sprint race.
Always Ek is invited and ready for a new Solvalla adventure.
- He has found last year's form and won the Lotterian in a convincing way on Sunday. He is a very fast horse and, in my opinion, currently Italy's best sprinter," says Anders Malmrot.
Always Ek has shown himself to the Elitlopp audience before when he was there last year and finished second in the Sweden Cup, also called Lilla Elitloppet, at Solvalla. He then impressed immensely in his trial race where he won in a brilliant time of 1.08,6 over 1640 meters with autostart - in the final it was later a second place behind Missle Hill.
In the latter part of 2024, Always Ek won several Group I races at home in Italy and after taking the biggest win of his career in Italy's equivalent of the Elitloppet, the Gran Premio Lotteria, on Sunday, he now has a place in the sixteen until the last Sunday in May.
Always Ek convinced big when he together with Magnus A Djuse won both the trial and the final at the Agnano track in Naples. From the outside leader, the horse was the toughest and best in the final of Gran Premio Lotteria 2025, where the victory time was written to 1.10,3 over 1600 meters with autostart. The first prize was worth the equivalent of around 2,5 million SEK.
- Always Ek is a special horse and I am so happy about the invitation. He is in top form now and has really good speed. I'm really looking forward to competing in the Elitloppet," says trainer Alessandro Gocciadoro.
Now the starting field is starting to take shape in earnest and only five places remain for Elitloppet, which will be decided on May 25 at Solvalla.
Facts Always Oak
Age: 9 years
Sex: Stallion
Father: Filipp Roc
Mother: Nike Ek
Starts/Result: 80 (29-14-2)
Earned: 954 724 euros
Record: 1.08,6 autostart (1640 meters)
Owner: Effebi SRL
Coach: Alessandro Gocciadoro
Attendant: Ermir Laci
Breeder: Az. Agr. Caprani Edy Graziano
Nationality: Italian
Elitloppet is the main attraction during the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla in Stockholm on May 23-25, 2025. Elitloppet is an invitational race where 16 horses compete in two different trials with eight horses in each. The top four in each trial will meet in a final where the winner will receive five million SEK.
Invited horses for Elitloppet 2025: Go On Boy (France), Logan Park (Canada), Borups Victory (Sweden), The Locomotive (Australia), Francesco Zet (Sweden), Etonnant (France), A Fair Day (Sweden), Mellby Knekt (Sweden), Mellby Jinx (Sweden), Don Fanucci Zet (Sweden), Always Ek (Italy)
