Elitlopp 2011 - Is This America's Year?

Yes, we are late this year regarding discussing the Elitlopp which will be held Sunday at Solvalla.  The Meadowlands and the NJAW ADW will be broadcasting and accepting wagers on the Elitlopp starting at 8:35am.  Consult with your local ADW and simulcast locations to see if they will be carrying the Solvalla card as well as the time and races they will be handling.  In a change, the Meadowlands will begin covering the races with race 6, the first elimination of the Elitlopp (in the past they did not accept wagering on the eliminations but only the final). This also allows horseplayers to play the popular V75 wager.  The V75 will consist of races 6 thru 13 (Race 11, the Elitlopp final is not included). Also unique this year is those wagering on the Solvalla simulcast will be able to wager on Cold Bloods, a different breed from the standardbred, in race 8.

Everyone is talking about this is the year the Star Spangled Banner gets played at Solvalla as many of the experts are picking Arch Madness to win the Elitlopp.  Make no mistake, based on Arch Madness' victory in the Grand Prix of Oslo, he is the well-deserved favorite, but if there is one thing I have learned, the trotters in Europe seem to be able to pop up after a disappointing effort.  I don't know if it is due to the way they train their horses, the fact they race different distances (the Elitlopp is at a mile), and/or the fact some races are vault started and others use the starting gate.  So while it looks like it is the year of America, don't be shocked if the anthem of another nation is played after the final heat.

Here is the field for the two eliminations of the Elitlopp

Elimination race 1 (race 6):
1. Rapide Lebel (France) - Eric Raffin
2. Year In Review (Sweden) - Per Lennartsson
3. Brioni (Germany) - Joakim Lövgren
4. Define The World (Canada) - Paul McDonell
5. Reven d'Amour (Sweden) - Fredrik B. Larsson
6. Wishing Stone (Denmark) - Jean Michel Bazire
7. Lavec Kronos (Sweden) - Lutfi Kolgjini
8. Libeccio Grif (Italy) - Marco Smorgon

Elimination race 2 (race 7):
1. Yarrah Boko (Norway) - Ulf Ohlsson
2. Arch Madness (USA) - Björn Goop
3. Iceland (Sweden) - Örjan Kihlström
4. Oyonnax (France) - Sébastien Ernault
5. Rakas (Sweden) - Per Lennartsson
6. Prince Tagg (Sweden) - Ralf Karlstedt
7. Lisa America (Italy) - Torbjörn Jansson
8. Commander Crowe (Sweden)

ATG provides an online program with the Swedish version of past performances which you can print out and it may be found here.  You will need to pick Sunday; then select the WS tab; pick the race you want and then click on past performances; then click on print.  You need to repeat these steps for each race.  Unfortunately, the past performance information is totally different from the program we are used to (another reason why past performance information needs to be standardized globally).  The Meadowlands and other sources may provide programs easier to understand.  To assist you on your picks, here is a tip sheet on the entire Elitlopp card.

Here are my selections for the Elitlopp divisions and final:

1st Elimination  - Lavec Kronos, Reven D'Amour, Define the World, Rapide Lobell
2nd Elimination -  Oyonnax, Arch Madness, Lisa America, Iceland
Final: Oyannax, Lavec Kronos, Arch Madness.