A total of 15 trotters have been nominated for the inaugural Elitlopp Playoff at the New Meadowlands Racetrack. The list of horses nominated reads like a who’s who of North American trotters with combined earnings of well over $19 million, with 13 of the 15 having records under 1:52.
With an estimated purse of $150,000, the Elitlopp Playoff is a collaborative effort between executives at Solvalla Racetrack in Sweden and the Meadowlands. The race will highlight a special afternoon Mother’s Day card at the Meadowlands on Sunday, May 8. The winner will receive an automatic invitation to compete in the Elitlopp at Solvalla on Sunday, May 29. In accordance with Swedish rules, horses in the Elitlopp Playoff will not be permitted to race with the medication Lasix or with trotting hopples.
“We are very excited to host the Elitlopp Playoff race and look forward to welcoming our guests from Sweden coming over that weekend for the event,” said Meadowlands Chairman Jeff Gural. “With all the fans and all the interest, the Elitlopp reminds me of our Little Brown Jug, which is my favourite racing event to go to every year.”
Here’s is the complete list of Elitlopp Playoff nominees:
Bee A Magician (M) – 2015 Older Trotting Mare of the Year in Canada and the U.S. - $3.7 million; 1:51
Crazy Wow – one of two four-year-olds nominated - $1.2 million; 1:51.1
Creatine – 2015 Breeders Crown champion - $2.1 million; 1:51.2
DWs NY Yank - $972,000; 1:51.3
Flanagan Memory – 2015 Cashman champion - $896,000; 1:51.4
Gural Hanover - $716,000; 1:51.3
Homicide Hunter – four-year-old Indiana star – won 16 of 18 races last year - $562,000; 1:53.4
JL Cruze – Dan Patch champion - $660,000; 1:49.4
Natural Herbie - $902,000; 1:51.4
Obrigado - $747,000; 1:51.3
Opulent Yankee - $221,000; 1:51.4
Perfectly Enough – won Swedish Breeders Crown at age three; has earned over $2.4 million SEK in Europe, never raced in North America and is mounting a comeback for trainer Marcus Melander
Resolve – TVG Trot champion, 2015 Older Trotting Horse of the Year in Canada - $915,000; 1:50.4
Shake It Cerry (M) – multiple Dan Patch Champion - $2.4 million; 1:51.2
Wind Of The North – 2015 Elitlopp starter - $470,000; 1:51
The Eltilopp Playoff will be contested at a distance of one mile if ten horses or less enter. The race will be at a mile-and-an-eighth if 11 or 12 horses enter. If 13 or more horses enter, the 12 highest money earners will start. Horses not nominated to the Elitlopp Playoff can be supplemented to the race at time of entry for a supplemental fee of $15,000.
(with files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo credits, clockwise from top left: Bee A Magician, Creatine, Resolve -- New Image Media; JL Cruze -- Jason Lisa/Lisa Photo)
