As a Swede, Kima Frenning knows just what Elitloppet means to racing and sports fans in her home country.

The former top horsewoman, who drove over 300 winners and trained more than 20 here in Australia before taking a job with Harness Racing Victoria, sat down to chat about the iconic meeting with colleague Tim O'Connor.

TOC: Kima, great to chat ahead of one of the biggest races in the world and you know as much about Elitloppet as anyone here in Australia being from Sweden. Firstly, how many times have you been to Elitloppet and tell us what it's like. It looks incredible.

KF: Tim, it’s great to have this chat. As a born Swede, Elitloppet is very special to me and has been even more exciting in the years that Australia has had a representative. I think I’ve been to Elitloppet about eight times, and it really never gets old. It is so much more than a race meeting. The only way I can really explain it is that it’s a three-day festival and the best thing about it is that it’s not just catered to hardcore harness racing fans. They also get a lot of interest from people outside of the sport. There’s a lot of people that are not hardcore harness racing fans, but will get a group of people together every year for the last weekend of May.

TOC: What are some of the special things that happen there during the week?

KF: I didn’t grow up in Stockholm, so I was never fortunate enough to be able to go for a full week, but I know that they do a heap of media and press in the week and months leading up to the weekend. The weekend starts off with a normal race meeting on the Friday at Solvalla and on the Friday night they hold an annual yearling sale. Saturday is a metro meeting at Solvalla with heaps of class runners and races but also with a lot of on-track entertainment like pony trots and Elitloppet “consolation”. Then they will normally have a groom’s party at night that gets pretty wild. Then obviously it all leads into the Sunday with plenty of other great races other than Elitloppet. They have pony trots, 200m speed races, monte races and coldblood races, but what never stops to amaze me is the crowd engagement. They have a full cheer squad with chants and drums, so it really feels like you are at a major sporting event. This cheer squad is made up out of hardcore Elitlopp fanatics and it’s just absolutely incredible to see.

TOC: Aussie racing fans always seem to compare things to the Melbourne Cup given it's a race just about everyone stops to watch and it really unites a nation. Is that something you could say about the Elitlopp final in Sweden?

KF: I mean, absolutely. I think most of the general public, even though they’re not harness racing fans, would know that Elitloppet is on. That’s similar to any major sporting event I suppose. It’s really cool because I remember one year that I was there, I was sitting next to a guy who did look a little bit lost, but as the day went on, he got more and more into everything. As Elitloppet was on, he was cheering and chanting, and then he told me he knew nothing about harness racing. His girlfriend was a groom and she took him to the races! I will always remember that conversation as being somewhat wholesome when he then said how he absolutely loved his experience and was looking forward to coming back at future race meetings.

TOC: After watching some YouTube clips, one thing that stood out was how cambered the Solvalla track is. I believe you've driven there before, so what's it like?

KF: Well, I was four and five wide around the last turn - no surprises - and nearly fell out of the cart! Jokes aside, most bigger tracks in Sweden have got a pretty decent camber on them. It’s just to help the horses to maintain their speed as they’re entering the turns. Opinions on that is a whole other discussion!

TOC: Another thing that looks really cool is how Elitloppet drivers are celebrated by the crowd.

KF: It’s amazing and it really gives that “star factor” feeling. They have a big inauguration ceremony every year on the Elitlopp Sunday where they parade the drivers in a big bus in front of the crowd. But they don’t just celebrate the drivers, they celebrate the crowd, the horses, the ponies and just everything around Elitloppet. They warm horses up differently to us in Sweden and will normally go out for their first warm-up one-and-a-half hours before they race. Each time an Elitlopp horse goes out to warm up, the caller announces them being on the track and the crowd cheers pretty much the whole time they’re out there. Another pretty amazing thing is the gates opening on Sunday morning. People line up from all hours in the morning to be first in line and that way secure the best seats. When the gates open, there is hundreds of people springing up to the best seats on the track. If you haven’t seen it on YouTube, search for “Inspring Elitloppet” and watch the absolute glorious chaos that unfolds.

TOC: The amount of planning and effort that has gone into getting Just Believe to Sweden for this race has been amazing. What are some of the differences the horse, his trainer Jess Tubbs and driver Greg Sugars might find challenging in Sweden compared to Australia?

KF: Greg, Jess and Harry are all champions in their own right, and just the fact that they got him there and how well he seems to have travelled is a massive achievement in itself. I think there are a lot of differences compared to Australia, but nothing that they wouldn’t have already looked up and researched. If you want to warm your horse up in Sweden, you have to do it in between races and share the track with tractors, water trucks and other horses. Just the logistics behind that might be their biggest challenge because it would be quite different to perhaps their race preparations in Australia.

TOC: The horse is staying at the property owned by Stig Johansson. I'm only going off what I read online, but he appears to be a legend of Swedish racing. Talk to us about him.

KF: Stig H is definitely an absolute legend in Swedish harness racing. Not only was he a phenomenal driver and is a genius trainer, but he is also always happy to help and guide the younger generation in harness racing. He has created several scholarships for young aspiring trainers and drivers, and has also started scholarships for the backbone of our industry, the stable hands (or grooms as they are called in Sweden). He has always been really focused on the future of the Swedish harness racing industry and is always happy to give advice where needed.

TOC: You've raced in both Sweden and Australia, so can you compare our trotters to those over in Europe? And how do you honestly think Just Believe will go in Elitloppet?

KF: I think the sport in Sweden has obviously got a longer history than here in Australia, and with that has had plenty of time to really develop the trotting breed. They’ve also had a chance to really focus on the trotters since that’s all they race over there, so as much as I think we are catching up to them here in Australia, we’ve still got a bit to go. I think the biggest difference is that they have a very natural gait and don’t necessarily need a lot of assistance to stay in their gaits. Regardless of what Harry does this weekend in Sweden, he is not going to lose any admirers whatsoever. It’s one of the toughest races in the world and I’m sure that qualifying for the final will feel like an absolute victory to his connections. The draw is very tricky in a race where they rarely come up for air, so I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that he can run a cracking race and make the final.

TOC: Racing is important and time-consuming, but Greg and Jess will surely get a chance to explore the sights of Sweden! Any advice on where they should go?

KF: Stockholm is a beautiful city, especially in summer, and to wander around and take everything in would be amazing for them. The Wasa museum is super cool as well as the ABBA museum. Although I think Australians loves ABBA more than Swedes, we still have a museum for them! I’m obviously bias, but Stockholm is so different to anything that I’ve seen in Australia and I just want them to enjoy that. Oh, and bring me home some Swedish lollies – they are the best in the world!

TOC: And us punters love a bet, but few of us have any idea about Elitloppet. We need a tip for the final!

KF: Although Elitloppet is a sprint race, it’s also a real staying test. After that initial sprint at the start, you rarely see them come up for air and they pretty much run the entire way. In saying that, I’m a useless tipster because I normally go from my heart and not my head. I love San Moteur for trainer/driver Björn Goop. Björn is a phenomenal trainer and driver, and this horse has showed a lot of promise this time in.