Cokstile won the prestigious race in New York and Italian Vincenzo Piscuoglio dell’Annunziata took home over NOK 5 million. But the way he treated the horse is causing a stir in the Norwegian trotting community. – This is not how we treat the horses in Norwegian trotting. It looks very violent, says Rikstoto expert Vemund Madsen to news. – The Griseri TV images show that the Italian uses the reins on the horse with tremendous force. He also waves the whip several times. – The horse won completely superior and had a lot of strength left at the finish line. It would have done exactly the same performance if the driver had not had it driven. It is sad to see that the coachman chooses to treat the horse that way, says Madsen. – Cokstile is called out, but it’s terrible to see this piggishness. Gets completely sick, writes program manager for Rikstoto Direkte, Anders Mikkelborg, on Twitter. STAR HORSE: Cokstile has won a number of trotting races. Here at a qualifying heat for the Elitloppet in 2020. Photo: TR Media Lars Jakobsson / NTB Norwegian breeder: – Not good Per Erik Hagen from Asker is the breeder of the horse, but it has later been sold on to Italian owners – via another Norwegian owner. – It is not good at all. I have told the owner that Nordic eyes don’t like that. Then the owner said that he (Vincenzo, driver) is turning on the wheels and the numbered tire, and that it looks worse than it is, he tells news. Hagen was present in New York with the new owner of the horse, Renato Santese. He claims he gave the Italian a clear message about the coachman’s treatment of the horse. The breeder says he has no authority to do anything, and that it is the owner who decides. – Personally, I am strongly opposed to carrying a whip in trotting races. Norway is one of the few countries where it is not done, says Hagen. – Does it give the victory an aftertaste? – It does. CRITICAL: Per Erik Hagen does not like how the horse Cokstile was treated during the weekend’s race in New York. Photo: Private The Norwegian says that he and a vet inspected the horse after the race. There, they registered no visible damage. – Fortunately, there were no marks on the horse. At least that bodes well. – Never whipped a horse The Norwegian Trotting Association made a statement after the race. There they write that they are reacting to the coachman’s repeated blows with the whip and that the horse was jerked violently in the mouth. “Det Norske Travselskap strongly distances itself from Dell’Annunziata’s treatment of the horse during the race. Such a way of treating horses is not permitted in Norway, and would result in a ban from participating in trotting races,” the statement reads. news has not succeeded in getting in touch with the coachman dell’Annunziata, but owner Renato Santese says the following about the accusations to news: – I want to clarify that Vincenzo has never whipped a horse, neither in the European championship nor now in New York. Santese emphasizes that the whip was not used on the horse. dell’Annunziata has not been sanctioned as a result of the treatment of the horse. Although the World Cup victory is controversial in Norwegian eyes, expert Vemund Madsen emphasizes that the achievement is great. NORWEGIAN: Here are Norwegian-born Cokstile in Norway. Lars Anvar Kolle then won the Norwegian Trotting Derby for warmblood horses in 2017. Photo: Terje Andersen / NTB – One must pay tribute to the breeder (Per Erik Hagen). This is a fantastic Norwegian achievement by a breeder who has produced a horse at the top of the world, says Madsen and adds: – This is big for him. He is not a big breeder in the Norwegian context, but has produced many good horses for a long time.
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