Tonight's victory earned a direct place in the final Sunday in May.
Horse number eleven for Elitloppet 2023 is Hail Mary.
- He ran a fantastic race tonight and has shown that he is a top horse that belongs in Elitloppet," said driver Örjan Kihlström in the winner's circle.
As in recent years, a pink ticket was waiting at the finish line for the winner on Wednesday evening. The road to Elitloppet, the Meadow Roads race at Solvalla, was a very watchable race at a high pace where Hail Mary finally stood as the winner. He sprinted to victory in a fine winning time of 1.09,1 over 1640 meters, which also became a new record for his part.
Hail Mary's biggest career win came in the 2020 Swedish Trotting Derby as a four-year-old and the same year he also won the Breeders Crown. Last year he stepped into the older elite in earnest by being second in the Elitloppet and now he gets another chance in the Elitloppet in 2023 - which also means that trainer Daniel Redén has two horses ready for this year's edition.
Sports Director Anders Malmrot was very pleased with the evening's winner.
- Hail Mary looks even stronger this year. He has had two very good performances this year and it was a well-deserved victory he took tonight in the Meadow Roads race," says Anders Malmrot.
On Wednesday, Solvalla Hästägarföreningen's Montépokal was also ridden where a direct place to the Montéeliten was at stake. The winner was Diamant De Larre together with Jonathan Carre who fulfilled the big favorite in the evening's race. The horse is trained by Henk Grift and after the victory Diamant De Larre now has one of the ten places for the Montéeliten, which will be ridden on Sunday, May 28 during the Elitlopp weekend at Solvalla.
Facts about Hail Mary
Age: 7 years
Sex: Stallion
Father: Googoo Gaagaa
Mother: Dreams U.S.
Starts/Results: 35 (23-7-0)
Earned: SEK 11 753 000
Record: 1.09,1 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 26-28, 2023. 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 2023: San Moteur (Sweden), Horsy Dream (France), Etonnant (France), Vivid Wise As (Italy), Just Believe (Australia), Önas Prince (Sweden), Go On Boy (France), Don Fanucci Zet (Sweden), Hohneck (France), Stoletheshow (Sweden), Hail Mary (Sweden),
