New track record at Bjerke – Breeders Crown draw

Blizzard Diamant swept everything in Axel Jensen’s Memorial at V85 and set a new track record at Bjerke: 1.09,4. At the same time, the draw for the Breeders Crown finals in Eskilstuna on 14 November is now set following Sunday’s semifinals at Solvalla. Several major races were also run over the weekend at San Siro in Milan.

Breeders Crown finals to be held on 14 November

The Breeders Crown finals will take place in Eskilstuna on Saturday 14 November. The draw will be confirmed after Sunday's semi-finals at Solvalla. A race is a competition in which the horses pull a sulky with a driver, and a racecourse is the facility where the races are held.

Sulkysport has published reports from the semi-finals in four classes: three-year-old mares, three-year-old stallions and geldings, four-year-old mares and four-year-old stallions and geldings. Sulkysport

Tips: Lipovac picks Hankypanky Leonie

Before Saturday’s 31 October V85 round at Bjerke, Trav365’s expert Mario Lipovac picked out 10 Hankypanky Leonie (V85-8) as his main selection in the closing race: “she is the best horse and should have an excellent chance of winning”. He noted that she has been galloping at the finish and that being in the outside lane makes things difficult. A main pick is the horse you choose as a certain winner on your betting system, and V85 means that you bet on the winner in eight races. Betting closed at 15.00.

In the same round, Micke Quist warned about his “big outsider” – a horse few people believe in – with the words “My big outsider has to be included”, while Michael Carlsson described his “absolute sure thing – is brutally overlooked”. The V85 percentages were updated at 08.17 on Saturday 31 October, according to Trav365. Trav365

Track record and photo finish in this weekend’s V85

At Bjerke outside Oslo, 3 Blizzard Diamant and driver Robin Bakker won the four-year-old race Axel Jensens Minneslopp, which was run as V85-7 and offered 300 000 Norwegian kroner to the winner. 2 Blank and driver Örjan Kihlström took the lead, but Blizzard Diamant won by a nose. The victory came in a new track record at Bjerke: 1.09,4 – a kilometre time, meaning the time the horse needs per kilometre. “This is one of the best horses I have ever driven”, says Robin Bakker on TV12. The experts on TV12 were ecstatic: “Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy a world-class star”, says Eskil Hellberg, while Robin Malmgren points out, “He is a monster, he is completely unfazed”. Jennifer Tillman: “This is a horse heading for the Elitloppet. There are no words.”

In the Gold Division, the highest class, the favourite 2 Daim Brodda and driver Eirik Höitomt won by a photo finish ahead of 3 Before Takeoff, driven by Björn Goop. A photo finish determines which horse crosses the finish line first when they are neck and neck. The lap was completed in 1.10,2. Trainer Kjetil Helgestad: “It is wonderful to win when it is so difficult to win races like this”. Trav365 Trav365

Accident at Gävletravet – one horse died

During Saturday’s fifth race at Gävletravet, three horse-and-driver combinations were involved in an accident. The horse Mare Mareh was taken onto the safety track after barely one lap, fell to the ground and collided with One Bullet and Kingdome Come. Mare Mareh was seriously injured and died. “Unfortunately, Mare Mareh has died. The deceased horse is being transported to the veterinary hospital for autopsy,” says Mathias Gustafsson, sports manager at Gävletravet, to Travronden.

The driver Karl-Arne Nordström was taken to hospital. “I don’t know much more than that he had back problems, but he was able to speak when he left the accident site,” says Gustafsson. A horse owner who came out onto the track to help was also taken to hospital with back pain. After a lengthy delay, the races resumed later that evening. Trav365

In brief

• Ischia Joy won the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli final (€256.300) at San Siro and is the first filly – a filly is a female horse – to win since Unicka in 2016; she is trained by Erik Bondo. Sulkysport
• Ingrid Am, trained by Alessandro Gocciadoro and driven by Antonio di Nardo, put on a display in the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli Filly (€88.000) at San Siro. Sulkysport
• Free Time Jepson attacked on the outside in the fourth lane at the exit of the final turn and won with a late sprint in the Gran Premio delle Nazione (€220.000) at San Siro. Sulkysport
• The favourite Il Trio Jet won easily from the lead in the first heat of the Gran Premio Orsi Mangelli (€22.000) at San Siro. Sulkysport
• Trav365’s Micke Nybrink analysed V85 at Solvalla on Sunday, 1 November, with betting closing at 15.00. Trav365