Le Coup de Foudre wins major race

Charles Camilleri leads Le Coup de Foudre to victory yesterday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Le Coup de Foudre won yesterday’s major race at the Marsa racetrack after topping the Premier class event held on the long distance of 2,640 metres.

This race formed part of the 18th meeting of the season made up of eight races all for trotters.

Fifteen horses lined up for the class Premier race. Here early leader Carnegie Hall (Darren Mizzi) started to slow down around 600m from the finishing line and was overtaken by Le Coup de Foudre, driven by Charles Camilleri, as the French trotter went on to obtain its first win of the season from Gentle Way (Eric Bezzina).

Le Bolide Du Suret (Melvin Farrugia) and Swedish newcomer Candy Fantasy (Mario Falzon) ended respectively in third and fourth place.

Le Coup de Foudre had an average time of 1.17.1” per kilometre.

In the only class Gold race of the day, Alex Cortis put French Nuage Somolli infront with a lap to go and this horse also registered its first win in Malta from Delvin Brodde (Julian Farrugia) and Rambo Lambo (Claudio Refalo). Kalipso Pierji (Michael Ellul) finished fourth.

Another racing programme made up of eight races all for trotters will be held this afternoon at the Marsa racetrack with the first race for class Copper trotters starting at 2.30 p.m.

Yesterday’s winners at Marsa

Race 1: Class Bronze, Pretty Post (David Ellul)
Race 2: Class Copper, Loulou Noir (Carl Caruana)
Race 3: Class Bronze, Oural d’Asnois (Patrick Spiteri)
Race 4: Class Copper, 1. Lorrain d’Oliverie (Brian Hili)
Race 5: Class Gold, Nuage Somolli (Alex Cortis)
Race 6: Class Silver, Lotus du Goth (Andrew Spiteri)
Race 7: Class Premier Le Coup de Foudre (Charles Camilleri)
Race 8: Class Bronze. Dist – 2640m 1. Marchallach (Paul Gauci)

Originally Published in The Sunday Times on the 24 April 2011