V75®: Count on Djuse on the mile track

Tingsryd is hosting V75 this Saturday, which means that V75 is being raced for the first time on a mile track (1,609 meters). 

"Fun with V75 on a mile track! It's fun for the sport, and overall, it's interesting with different-sized tracks. Racing on bigger tracks can only be positive," says Mattias Djuse. 

He is sending four horses to race in the V75 races, and one horse that might benefit from racing on a big track is 9 Tony Adams (V75-6), who started his career in the United States. 

"He has raced primarily on big tracks before, but he has no problems with our 1,000-meter tracks either, so I don't know if it's any advantage for him."

The 4-year-old had great success racing in the United States in his previous two seasons and has made two starts for Mattias Djuse since arriving in Sweden. In the first start, he got too aggressive in the lead and was tired by the time he got to the top of the stretch. In his most recent start, he finished fifth, behind L'AmourPourBlanca, after having gone three-wide the last kilometer. 

"Things haven't gone the way I had hoped, so far, but I think it was a pretty good effort in his most recent start. He feels good in training after that, and I hope that he will get better with each start he gets."

He comes out in the Prix Readly Express, a 4-year-old open over 2,413 meters (1 1/2 mile) with SEK 400,000 to the winner. Tony Adams starts from post position nine, in the second tier behind the gate. 

"It's a good post for him. From there, he can drive straight ahead and doesn't have to worry about leaving to find a spot. The horse will race well, and he is very fast if he can get cover a bit longer than he had in his last start. He will close very well if he can sit until the top of the stretch." 

The home stretch at Tingsryd is 285 meters long, meaning that the closers have an extra 100 meters to get up, compared to the average home stretch at a 1,000-meter racetrack. It also means that the leader must save some energy for that long stretch to be able to hold off the closers. In the same race as Tony Adams, his stablemate, 1 Fahrenheit (V75-6) could be the horse in the lead from his inside post. He trotted a strong last kilometer in his most recent start, when he rounded the field to be tripped out by Elvis T.C.B. 

"Fahrenheit is a nice racehorse who races well every time. He can leave well, so the post position is perfect, but the tactics are up to the driver. My horse has shown that he's in good form. Two starts ago, he was locked in against many of these horses, and last time out, he raced very well in a long-distance race. I'm sure he will race well again." 

Mattias Djuse says that his best chance comes in the Gold division, where 4 Hustle Rain (V75-3) starts from post four behind the gate in this 1-mile race. The horse has made two starts this year and followed up his victorious seasonal debut with a fourth-place finish in the Copenhagen Cup. 

"He raced well in Copenhagen. The surface was tricky and too deep for him, so he had problems in the first turn, but still raced well. He feels good in training after that start. He drew well here, and it looks good for him. He's our best chance, without a doubt."

Joining the boys on the trip to Tingsryd is also 7 Olivia Bros (V75-5). She starts from post seven behind the gate in the Diamantstoet, and it's one lap around the Tingsryd mile track for her as well. 

"She got a good tightener last time out and raced well. She needed that, and she gets better with each start. She goes up in class here, and this is a start to get her ready for the Mares Sprint Championship next time."