Gran Premio Lotteria, or Gran Premio della Lotteria, or in short, Lotteria, is an annual
Group One harness event that takes place at
Agnano Racetrack
Agnano is a suburb of Napoli, Italy, situated southwest of the city in the Campi Flegrei region. It was popular among both ancient Greeks and Romans and was famed for its hot sulphurous springs.
History
Lake Agnano formed in the Middle Ages ...
in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
The competition, which was inaugurated in 1951, is regarded as one of the most prestigious international events in trotting. The winner is decided through three qualifying heats and a subsequent final later the same day. Both the eliminations and the final are raced over 1,600 meters.
Gran Premio Lotteria is part of the
European Grand Circuit European Grand Circuit (french: Grand Circuit européen) was a harness racing series arranged by European Trotting Union. It was held from 1956 to 2011. The competition was replaced by UET Masters Series in 2012.
The circuit consisted of the ma ...
and the overall purse for the 2009 event was €600,600, equalling approximately US$795,000.
The fastest winning time in the history of the race is 1:10.5, run by
Timone Ek in 2017.
Racing conditions
The races
Gran Premio Lotteria is decided through three elimination heats, followed by a final. The first three trotters of each elimination progress to the final, which is run later the same day. There is also a consolations race for the competitors that do not succeed in qualifying for the final.
Distance and starting method
The distance was, during the first seven years, 1,700 meters. This was shortened to 1,680 meters in 1959. In 1976 the distance was further decreased, to today's 1,600 meters. With the exceptions of 1951, 1952 and 1956, the race have always been started by the use of auto start.
The 2009 Lotteria
The starting list (the final)
# Algiers Hall - Roberto Vecchione (Holger Ehlert)
# Opal Viking - Björn Goop (Nils Enqvist)
# Oiseau de Feux -
Jean-Michel Bazire
Jean-Michel Bazire (born April 16, 1971) is a French harness racing driver. In 1999, he won the Prix d'Amérique driving Moni Maker
Moni Maker (February 23, 1993 – May 2, 2014) was an American Standardbred racemare who was one of the most ...
(Fabrice Souloy)
# Island Effe - Pietro Gubellini (Edoardo Gubellini)
# Jodas Julia - Dominiek Locqueneux (Catarina Lundström)
# Ghibellino - Roberto Andreghetti (Eric Bondo)
# Idalgo Jet - Pasquale Esposito J:r (Ottavio Silvestri)
# Classic Grand Cru - Thomas Uhrberg (Steen Juul)
# Ismos Fp - Enrico Bellei (Claus Ernst Hollman)
Swedish stallion Opal Viking, trained by Nils Enqvist and driven by Björn Goop, was betting favourite, followed by Oiseau de Feux, Algiers Hall and Ghibellino.
The race
Algiers Hall went to the front and driver Roberto Vecchione chose to keep the lead when favourite Opal Viking announced an interest to take it over. Oiseau de Feux followed as third and the pace was very slow. In the stretch, Island Effe and Ghibellino came from behind to claim the first and second place, respectively. Oiseau de Feux overtook Opal Viking to reach third, while the Swedish favourite finished fourth.
Island Effe became the first Italian mare to win the event. The winning time for the Italian 5-year-old mare after Lemon Dra, was 1:57.1 (mile rate)/1:12.9 (km rate). The winner's purse was US$275,000.
Past winners
Horses with most wins
* 3 - Birbone (1952, 1953, 1955)
* 3 - Tornese (1957, 1958, 1962)
* 3 - Une de Mai (1969, 1970, 1971)
* 3 -
Varenne
Varenne (foaled in Copparo, Italy, 19 May 1995) is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
Varenne is considered to be the best trotter of all time. No other trotter has won so many of the most important races in the ...
(2000, 2001, 2002)
* 2 - The Last Hurrah (1978, 1979)
Drivers with most wins
* 5 - Vivaldo Baldi (1952, 1953, 1955, 1978, 1979)
* 5 - Jean-Rene Gougeon (1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976)
* 4 -
Stig H. Johansson (1984, 1991, 2003, 2005)
* 4 - Roberto Andreghetti (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
* 3 - Sergio Brighenti (1958, 1962, 1963)
* 3 - Giampaolo Minnucci (2000, 2001, 2002)
Trainers with most wins
* 5 - Vivaldo Baldi (1952, 1953, 1955, 1978, 1979)
* 4 - Sergio Brighenti (1957, 1958, 1962, 1963)
* 4 - Jean-Rene Gougeon (1969, 1970, 1971, 1976)
* 4 -
Stig H. Johansson (1984, 1991, 2003, 2005)
* 3 - Jori Turja (2000, 2001, 2002)
Sires with at least two winning offsprings
* 3 -
Nevele Pride
Nevele Pride (1965 - February 19, 1993) was an American standardbred harness racehorse who set world records as fastest trotter on multiple occasions. Owned by Stanley Dancer, Nevele Pride won 57 races and was honored as Harness Horse of the Y ...
(Contingent Fee, Evita Broline, Classy Rogue)
* 2 - Ayres (Top Hanover, The Last Hurrah)
* 2 - Pharaon (Tornese, Nievo)
* 2 - Quick Pay (The Onion,
Victory Tilly
Victory Tilly (born May 3, 1995) is a Swedish former racing trotter by Quick Pay out of Icora Tilly by Fakir du Vivier.
His most prestigious victories include the Swedish Trotting Derby (Swedish: ''Svenskt Travderby''), Elitloppet, Nat Ray Tr ...
)
* 2 - Speedy Crown (Evann C., Embassy Lobell)
Fastest winners
Auto start
* 1:10.8 (km rate) -
Varenne
Varenne (foaled in Copparo, Italy, 19 May 1995) is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
Varenne is considered to be the best trotter of all time. No other trotter has won so many of the most important races in the ...
(2002)
Volt start (1951, 1952, 1956)
* 1:17.8 (km rate) - Gelinotte (1956)
All winners of Gran Premio Lotteria
References
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Harness races in Italy
Horse races in Italy
Sport in Naples