Sweden trotter Iceland wins Elitloppet; US trotter Lucky Jim fails to qualify for final

Sweden trotter Iceland wins Elitloppet

STOCKHOLM — Iceland led from the start and won the Elitloppet trotting classic at Solvalla Raceway on Sunday.

The 6-year-old horse driven by Johnny Takter built a big lead and then held off last year’s winner Torvald Palema for the victory in Europe’s most prestigious harness race.

While it was a 1-2 finish for Sweden, U.S.-owned Lucky Jim did not make it to the final heat. Only the first four finishers in each of two earlier heats made it through to the final.

Lucky Jim’s driver Andy Miller said the different racing conditions in Sweden made it tough for the 5-year-old gelding. He had mentioned that the curves around the track were built up more than they are in the United States.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t make the final, but we enjoyed the trip,” Miller said.

Brioni, from Germany, finished third in front of a sellout crowd of 30,000.

Enough Talk, another U.S. entry who finished third in 2008, also failed to make it through the heats.

The victory was worth $382,000.