The sixth meeting of the year which was held on Sunday at the Marsa Racetrack heralded the start of the first championship of the season.
This is the Assikura Championship for class Gold trotters on a short distance of 2140m. From the six class Gold heats 24 horses made it to the semi-final stage.
Sunday’s card also included a normal class Premier race on a long distance of 2640m and which was won by French newcomer Dream driven by Ludvic Ghigo.
Fourteen trotters lined up in the class Premier race.
During the first lap, a number of horses took the lead from time to time.
However, with 1000m to go it was Cliferty Calleja which went in front with Velten Limelight which was constantly pressured by Dream (Ludvic Ghigo).
Three hundred metres from the end Velten Limelight started to slow down and was overtaken by Dream which eventually took its first win in Malta from Brin De Noblesse (Leon Tanti).
Velten Limelight had to settle for third place from Cathy De La Rouvre (Redent Magro).
The winner clocked an average time of 1.15.2” per kilometre.
In the first class Gold heat, Baltic Sautreuil (Cliferty Calleja) took its first win of the year after increasing its speed on the outside in the last 300 metres.
Danish Cutty Sark (Eman Attard) registered its first win in Malta in the second heat after sprinting strongly in the final straight.
French Deal De Cahot (Charles Camilleri) sealed its second win in a row in the third heat after outsmarting Altonico (Marco Debono) in the final metres.
Similarly, another French horse, Doudou De Bouere (Jean Claude Pace), took its second consecutive win and in Malta in the fourth heat after taking the lead with a lap to go.
In the fifth heat it was Gigant Well (Charles Degiorgio) which led all the way and triumphed by ten lengths from Glen Ord Superb (Kurt Saliba) and Connecticut (Amabile Ellul).
The early leader of the sixth heat, Dynamit Life (Kerstin Galea), was overtaken by Charming Soldier (Paul Galea) and Diza Do Courtille (Ivan Stivala) in the final metres of the race.
On Sunday afternoon the Malta Racing Club also awarded Rodney Gatt and Cherise Farrugia. Gatt and Farrugia finished the best driver and the best driver in the under 25 category respectively during the 2021 season.
They were presented by a memento by MRC chairman Judge Emeritus Antonio Mizzi.
Another meeting at the Marsa Racetrack will be held on Saturday. The first race should start at 1.30pm.
Sunday’s winners
Race 1. Class Copper. Dist – 2640m. 1. Eole De Mahey (Mario Fenech) – 1.16.3”
Race 2, Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Baltic Sautreuil (Cliferty Calleja) – 1.14.8”
Race 3. Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Cutty Sark (Eman Attard) – 1.14.4”
Race 4. Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Deal De Cahot (Charles Camilleri) – 1.14.8”
Race 5. Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Doudou De Bouere (Jean Claude Pace) -1.15”
Race 6. Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Gigant Well (Charles Degiorgio) – 1.15.7”
Race 7. Class Premier. Dist – 2640m. 1. Dream (Ludvic Ghigo) – 1.15.2”
Race 8. Assikura Championship Heat. Class Gold. Dist – 2140m. 1. Charming Soldier (Paul Galea) – 1.14.1”
