Scandal mars Norwegian Derby elims

The eliminations for the 92th Norwegian Trotting Derby took place at the Bjerke racetrack in Oslo on Wednesday (Aug. 23) night.

After Just Perfect Sisu (Brillantissime) and Born In Bergen (Born in the USA) had won the first two elims, the problems started.

As the horses in the third elim were getting ready, the lights in the last turn said good night. All horses were ordered off the track while the complete lightning system was shut off, reset and restarted.

At first the lights in the last turned failed to reignite, but after 28 long minutes the whole track was again lit up by the floodlights.

The problems were far from over, though. As the third elim went into the last turn of the 2600 meter (1 5/8th) long race, the lights went out again. Fortunately, no accidents took place, and no horses were spooked.

Pre-race favorite Petho (Propulsion) was in the lead almost the whole race and as the field entered the lit-up final stretch, the speedy four-year-old left the others for a convincing win.

Behind him second-favorite Striking Eagle (Bold Eagle) and big surprise Twisted Genius (Victor Gio) also qualified for the final on Sept 10th. Then 25 minutes after that, the fourth and final qualifier went off without any incidents, the race easily won by second favorite Thai Ohio (Brillantissime).

But what happened in that dark last turn of the third elimination?

After the race, drivers admitted they were very caution. Tom Erik Solberg, who drove third favorite I.D. Forcedtovictory, did not mince his words when interviewed by racing channel RD after his horse had finished fifth.

“My horse was interfered with in the last turn, so it’s damn exciting to see what the judges are able to figure out,” he said.

The owner of I.D. Forcedtovictory wrote Thursday morning on Facebook that he has “Sent a bunch of questions concerning rule violations” to Bjerke racetrack, DNT as well as asked for external legal assistance.

He also referenced the Norwegian racing regulations §13-2, which specifies that “if the track lighting disappears during a race in progress and thus creates a danger for the participants, the participants must immediately slowdown in such a way that the other participants are not disturbed and that accidents are avoided.”

So why wasn’t the race stopped? Officials were tight-lipped while the Secretary General of the Norwegian trotting association DNT told Norwegian Trav365 that “we’ll have to talk to the officials.”

Outspoken champion driver Solberg had no intention of being diplomatic. “We’ll be punished if we say too much, but here we are with eliminations for the Derby, which is supposed to be the highlight, but then it is conducted at such a damn amateur level. It’s just laughable.

“Everyone knows that mistakes can happen, but here they send us onto the track without quality assuring our safety. They play with our lives; they play with the safety of the horses and it’s just… It’s just unbelievable, incredibly amateurish,” he declared on RD after the race.

by Lisa Harkema, for Harnesslink