ATG official tips Malta venture to flourish

Scandinavian trotting scene experts Leif Almgren and Stefan Carlsson were recently the special guests at the Marsa racetrack for the finals of the U*Bet Championships for Swedish horses.

The championships, organised by the Malta Racing Club in conjunction with Maltco Lotteries, came to a close last Sunday. The main race, the Premier final, was won by Think Yatzee, driven by Clint Vassallo.

Almgren and Carlsson are the manager and project manager respectively within the International Department of Swedish betting company ATG.

The renovation works at the Marsa racetrack were praised by Almgren who also took the opportunity to monitor some Swedish horses that were also well-known in his country.

"The U*Bet Championships definitely helped to continue promoting the Swedish horses and breed in Malta," he said."Over the past years, many Swedish horses have been exported to the Maltese islands and I believe that it is a good idea to have them competing in the same events.

"Hopefully, this type of championship will continue to be organised in the coming years."

Besides Malta, Almgren is also keeping tabs on other Swedish horses that are racing outside Scandinavia.

"At the moment, Sweden has around five horses which I consider to be among the best in the world. Torvald Palema was the winner of the European Grand Circuit 2009 and voted the best horse of the year in Sweden," he said.

"True, this year we only had Opal Viking in the Prix d'Amerique but I think the situation will surely change for the better in the coming months."

Almgren also talked about the various important decisions faced by Swedish trainers during the year.

One major headache is whether to train their horses for competitions at home in spring and summer or prepare for international races in France or Italy which are normally held in winter.

At the moment, however, the most popular Swedish trotters are resting in order to be in the best form to start racing at major home events between April and October, Almgren added.

Meanwhile, Maltese professional trainer and driver Charles Degiorgio is currently plying his trade in Sweden, establishing himself among the best in the horse racing circles.

Last year, Degiorgio, who is also supported by the Malta Tourism Authority, was voted as the best trainer-driver at the Mantorp Racetrack.

Almgren said that horse racing enthusiasts in Sweden have been impressed by Degiorgio's talent. He has become one of the main trainers in Sweden and participates regularly in the major weekend finals, known as V75.

"To qualify for the V75 finals is no easy task," Almgren said.

"This confirms Degiorgio's potential... he's a popular figure in Sweden. Today, the most renowned owners are choosing him as their official trainer. Degiorgio is a good promoter of the Maltese islands, no doubt."

Almgren expects the collaboration between Maltco and ATG to flourish.

"At ATG, we are very satisfied with this partnership. We reached our objectives so far but we want to embark on similar initiatives with Maltco in future," he said.

"Certainly this joint venture helped in promoting the sport and Swedish horse racing in Malta."