French trotter Fameux Sax, driven by the seasoned Noel Baldacchino, stormed to victory in the highly anticipated CenterParc Summer Championship Class Premier final on Friday evening. The thrilling encounter served as the headline event of the Marsa Racetrack’s 41st meeting of the season, which featured a packed seven-race card exclusively dedicated to trotters.

A Dramatic Premier Final

The Class Premier showdown, contested over a short distance of 2,140 metres, brought together a competitive field of twelve elite trotters.

As the gate receded, race favourite DJ Spritz (Daniel Hili) surged forward to command the early pace. The Italian trotter successfully opened a small lead over his nearest challengers, The Lion (Rodney Gatt) and Mon’s Tornado (Paul Galea).

DJ Spritz looked poised for victory as the horses rounded the final bend. However, in a stunning upset, the outsider Fameux Sax launched a spectacular late charge. Baldacchino timed his move to perfection, outsmarting the leader just a few metres before the wire to secure the championship. Velvet Gio (Charles Camilleri) crossed the line in third place, followed closely by Heros Des Mottes (Cherise Farrugia) in fourth.

Fameux Sax clocked an impressive average time of 1:12.8 per kilometre.

Following the race, Oliver Brownrigg, Director of CenterParc, presented the winning trophy to owner Kevin Mifsud and driver Noel Baldacchino. The presentation took place alongside prominent local racing figures, including Tony Demanuele (Vice Chairman of the Malta Racing Club), Matthew Brincat (CEO of Malta Equidrome), and Max Zammit (CEO of Equestri Malta).

Eland Dominates Gold Class Final

In the Class Gold final, Italian trotter Eland delivered a masterclass in front-running racing. Driven by Jesmar Gafà, Eland led the field from start to finish to claim victory by half a length over Ipso Du Fer (Carl Caruana).

This marked Eland’s third consecutive victory on Maltese soil. Rounding out the top positions in the Gold final were Daniel Autriche (Rodney Gatt) and Pure Joy (Cherise Farrugia).

Record Breakers Honoured & Solemn Tributes

The evening also served as an occasion to celebrate record-breaking achievements and honour a foundational figure in Maltese equestrian sports:

• Speed Records Recognized: The owners of Janita Silvio and DJ Spritz were presented with special mementos for setting new track records over the mile distance earlier in the summer. On 24th July, Swedish Janita Silvio clocked an average of 1:11.5 per kilometre. Just one week later, Italian DJ Spritz lowered that benchmark to a blistering 1:11.1 per kilometre.
• Tribute to Frank Schembri: A solemn moment of silence was observed to remember Frank Schembri, who passed away during the week. Schembri was the esteemed founder and director of Malta Equidrome, the company currently responsible for administering and modernizing the Marsa Racetrack.

Following this championship meeting, the local racing community will take a brief summer hiatus. The 2026 racing season is scheduled to resume at the end of next month.

Friday’s Full Results

Every race on Friday’s card determined a CenterParc Summer Championship winner over the 2,140-metre distance:

• Race 1 (Class Copper): Kiri Farceur (Jesmar Gafà) – 1:16.0
• Race 2 (Class Bronze B): Kirio (Dyan Baldacchino) – 1:14.7
• Race 3 (Class Bronze A): Jackpot Du Lot (Redent Magro) – 1:14.4
• Race 4 (Class Silver B): Golden Age (Rodney Gatt) – No Time Recorded (NTR)
• Race 5 (Class Silver A): Infinity Of Joy (Mario Farrugia) – 1:13.1
• Race 6 (Class Gold): Eland (Jesmar Gafà) – 1:13.4
• Race 7 (Class Premier): Fameux Sax (Noel Baldacchino) – 1:12.8