Trotting | Olli Koivunen cried for joy after the Derby: “Thank you, Crepe, for giving us this”

Trotting instructor Olli Koivunen was like selling his country after the Derby qualifiers 1.5 weeks ago. He was deeply disappointed because he came second in the Crepe Match coached by his father.

The well-timed second place took the team to the final race, but the 27-year-old driver was saddened by the fact that the loss in the qualifying round meant a weak starting point for the super start worth 120,000 euros.

On Saturday after the rain-soaked final race, the younger generation’s top driver’s expression and emotions turned upside down.

Koivunen was now crying for happiness in Vermo, because Crepe Match, which had wings on its back, sped past everyone to victory.

The field turned completely on the finish line in the rain. The favorite Callela Nelson, who was leading the pack, froze at the very tail, and Laxvikens Amiral, who was flying close to her, fell to fourth.

Harri Koivunen Corazon Combo and Massimo Hoist, who trained well like the winner, took the second and third places.

The winning result of the Crepe Match over a distance of 2,620 meters was 13.6a.

“Huh, you need to catch your breath, you can’t say anything”, were Olli Koivunen’s first comments in the trotting winner’s interview.

Director the mood improved even before the run.

“Crepe Match felt great during the warm-up. When the departure started, it hit one more gear.”

“The backs didn’t pull in front of us in the tight phase, and we had to go up to the fifth lane in the middle of the last corner. We just had to leave, because otherwise we wouldn’t have made it to the top.”

All’s well That ends well.

“Now we are here, and it feels incredible. Kudos to Harri and the nurse Gisela Koivu, who have done all the work with the horse. And thank you, Crepe, for giving us all this,” the director felt.

Also the long-time coach’s father had a lump in his throat and tears on his cheek after the super victory.

The background forces remembered the 2008 Derby, where Harri Koivunen encouraged his stable Ribaude to a surprise victory from the back row as well.

“The best horse in the world,” Koivunen described today’s Derby hero with a trembling voice.

The Derby victory was the second for the coach who ran the stable at the Metsämäki racetrack in Turku for decades, and the most valuable of his son’s career.

Vermon the top race showed in the best possible way what valuable wins mean to the background troops who work tirelessly for the horses every day.

“Everybody’s dream is to be a Derby winner born in Finland”, who owns Crepe Match together with the Koivunen family Heikki Salakari tightly.

If if Crepe Match’s driver’s wishes were good at the starting line, so were the trainer’s wishes before the start.

“The horse had a six-week break before the qualifying start, and we trusted that the start would take it forward. However, if we are honest, you can never know anything for sure about these horses.”

“Crepe Match looked great on the way, but it was scary when he ran so far. There was a good horse in the lead, and the others were also good,” said the trainer.

Correction 2.9. at 19:49: The horse’s name is Crepe Match, not Grape Match.