Win in comeback and time to make debut in Elitloppet.
Hail Mary is horse number twelve to be ready for the last Sunday in May.
- He was the king of the hill after winning the Derby in 2020 and should of course have a place in the Elitloppet after his impressive comeback, says Solvalla's sports director Anders Malmrot.
It was victory already in the competition debut and many remember especially Hail Mary's second start in life when he despite a gallop in the last curve came back and won, but although it was victory in five of six starts as a three-year-old, it is as a four-year-old he broke through seriously.
During the four-year-old season, Hail Mary earned over SEK 6.8 million, including a win in Margaretas Tidiga Unghästserie and then trials and finals in Breeders Crown, but the highlight comes from the beginning of September - namely the victory in the Swedish Trotting Derby 2020 at Jägersro, which is the biggest win of his career so far. From the lead, Hail Mary defeated his littermates and in total he won twelve of the fourteen starts he made that year. The first prize in the Swedish Trotting Derby was SEK 4 million and at the horse gala Hail Mary was later also named both four-year-old of the year and horse of the year for his fantastic 2020.
He had not been seen at a racetrack since August 2021 before his comeback at the beginning of May this year, but Hail Mary charmed the trotting crowd in Rättvik with a powerful win directly for his new trainer Daniel Redén. And just recently, Hail Mary went for a quick job with Solvalla's sports manager as an audience and the impression was so good that the sights are now set on Elitloppet 2022.
This means that trainer Daniel Redén has three horses in the world's biggest trotting race - the defending champion Don Fanucci Zet is already invited, as well as Snowstorm Hanover, who took a direct place through his victory in the Meadow Roads race.
- Hail Mary has been a talking horse since he started out. He looked fantastic in his comeback and was also really hot in the last job, says Solvalla's sports manager Anders Malmrot.
Facts about Hail Mary
Age: 6 years
Sex: Stallion
Father: Googoo Gaagaa
Mother: Dreams U.S.
Starts/Results: 27 (20-3-0)
Earned: SEK 7 694 000
Record: 1.10,1 autostart (1640m)
Owner: Stall Mary AB, and others
Trainer: Daniel Redén
Attendant: Jenny Sundin
Breeder: Jörgen Sjunnesson & Holger Gustavsson
Nationality: Swedish
Elitloppet is the main attraction during the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla in Stockholm on May 27-29, 2022. 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 five million SEK.
Invited horses for Elitloppet 2022: Don Fanucci Zet (Sweden), Etonnant (France), Vivid Wise As (Italy), Extreme (Denmark), Perfetto (Canada), Vernissage Grif (Italy), Önas Prince (Sweden), Cokstile (Italy), Admiral As (Sweden), Snowstorm Hanover (Sweden), Who's Who (Sweden), Hail Mary (Sweden).
