Most people expected a match between trial winners Readly Express and Aubrion du Gers - but for various reasons the final took on a completely different look.
For Readly Express, however, the final ended even before the start, when the horse was eliminated for lameness. The crowd had one last chance to thank their idol, and they did so with aplomb. Great emotions before the race, and even more so at the end of the dramatic final where it was the finish line judges who had to work the hardest.
In the race, French Dijon with Romain Derieux in the sulky surprised to fast-start to the lead, and behind him there was quite a scramble for positions. Dijon's compatriot Aubrion du Gers gained the lead in a maneuver that was one of the things the judges had to review after the race. But the really difficult bit was about the leader, and later also first to finish, namely Dijon. What about the gait? Opinions were divided in the audience, but when the decision was made, the horse retained the victory and the joy of victory that had been paused for a while could finally resume.
The winning time in the Elitloppet was 1.10,3 and the first prize for Dijon's owner Mauricette du Sousa is three million SEK.
Press release from Solvalla May 26, 2019.
Photo: Solvalla
