V75®: Full speed in the World Record Race
Finally the right post position.
On Saturday, the rocket starter Mizai gets the chance to show his full potential.
"Post position draws feel like all or nothing in these races. This time we got lucky, so it’s going to be a lot of fun on Saturday," says trainer and autumn specialist Jan Ove Olsen.
He is one of the country’s fastest starters and thrives best in the lead.
That makes the post position extra crucial for Mizai.
This spring, Lady Luck was on his side twice in V75®.
First in the silver division at Örebro in April, where he defended the inside post and won in dominant fashion.
Then, in the final during the Elitlopp weekend, he could use the same winning recipe from post two.
But after stepping up into the gold division, he hasn’t had the same luck.
At both Hagmyren and Örebro last time, he drew post 10.
In between, at Mantorp, he had the outside post with quick rivals inside and was taken back shortly after the start by Magnus A Djuse.
That’s why the horse comes to the start on Saturday with the past performances of 5-5-4 in his last three starts.
"They haven’t been bad efforts at all, but when you end up in the back in these races, those are the kinds of placings you have to drive for. Only the very top-class horses can win from those positions. For the level just below, the post draw almost completely determines whether you can race for victory or just for prize money," says Jan Ove Olsen, who got a much more pleasant surprise when he saw Saturday’s starting list at Bollnäs racetrack.
"That was really fun. Now I just need to make sure he’s in top form on Saturday as well. And I believe he is. He’s had the same preparation as before the Elitlopp weekend and feels just as good.”
Why couldn’t he leave as fast as usual at Mantorp?
"I honestly have no idea. The only thing the driver said afterward was that the horse felt fine, but why he couldn’t keep up from the start, I don’t know. It’s possible he just wasn’t in quite the same form that day. Even though he’s been healthy and sound and able to train all summer, I’ve been missing that real spark in his workouts. Whether that was due to the heat or something else is hard to say. But now he feels just as sharp as he did in the spring."
Looking at Mizai’s career results, there’s a clear indication that he doesn’t race as well during the summer. His win percentage in Swedish starts between June and August is 16, compared to 34 during the rest of the year.
"There could definitely be something to that. At the same time, we usually take things a bit easier in the stable in general during the summer. That’s when the competition is toughest, but the prize money is the same in the autumn. And now it feels like the autumn form is coming in the stable," says Jan Ove Olsen.
Most valuable bet in the country
Autumn form indeed.
In fact, Jan Ove Olsen has a remarkable ability to land longshots specifically during the autumn months.
This list shows the stable’s ten biggest autumn upsets over the past five years:
Track – Date – Horse (odds)
Gävle 21-10-21 Faks Nils (124-1)
Bergsåker 21-11-28 Zätas Forever Star (64-1)
Bergsåker 20-10-14 Zätas Forever Star (38-1)
Bergsåker 24-10-10 Fiores Arc (23-1)
Umåker 23-10-27 Eld Perla (23-1)
Solänget 22-10-03 Zätas Forever Star (19-1)
Rättvik 22-09-25 Krakas (16-1)
Bollnäs 20-10-23 Zätas Forever Star (15-1)
Rättvik 24-11-08 Panerai (13-1)
Romme 23-11-10 Quarter Tile (12-1)
Add in several more wins between 5-1 and 10-1, and it’s not hard to see that Olsen has been a goldmine for his followers at this time of year.
Even the best in the country.
In the Travfakta database, you can see that the return on investment has been 126 percent for anyone betting a fixed stake on all the stable’s horses between September–November since 2020.
In money, that corresponds to just over SEK 10,000 in net profit if the stake was SEK 100 per start.
Numbers that no trainer with over 200 starts in that period can match.
Left at 1:02 speed the first 200
A perfect start to this year’s autumn season would, of course, be to win at Bollnäs and secure the stable’s first triumph in the gold division.
"That would be incredible. Everything looks good beforehand. The horse did a tougher interval workout on Thursday, the same setup as before the Elitlopp finals, when he had the same workout ten days before. And this time, the intervals were sharp, just as good as then. Then today he had an easier workout with only two intervals and will jog on Thursday. It’s the same plan we had before Solvalla, and my feeling is that the horse will be in the same condition on Saturday."
According to the positioning system, Mizai trotted at 1:03.6 speed for the first 200 meters to take the lead easily. He was even quicker from the inside post at Örebro before that, blasting off 1:02.2 with 1:01.5 for the first 100. Those are elite speeds behind the gate, which should give him a strong chance to take the lead if he can leave as fast on Saturday.
"I believe he will, and I hope that’s enough for the lead. The one that worries me most is 1 Eolo Jet; I don’t think anyone from the outside can get past him."
For comparison, Eolo Jet trotted 1:04.3 at an even pace for the first 200 when Nugget Zon overtook him in the starting rush in his most recent win.
"If Mizai gets to the lead, he’s going to trot very fast. He thrives on a hard, even pace, and it’s been a long time since he got to lead over the short distance."
Specifically, a little over a year ago, when the horse led all the way to win a silver division at Solänget in 1:11.3.
"That was in autumn weather on a track that wasn’t fast at all," Olsen recalls.
On top of that, Mizai raced with hind shoes.
On the seven occasions he has led without shoes on his hooves, he’s undefeated.
"He’ll race barefoot all around on Saturday, and with his usual blind bridle."
The only change will be the driver as Mats E Djuse opted to drive Castor the Star, so Per Lennartsson will drive him for the first time.
"The owners wanted a top driver, and Per has shown he can blast off from the start with Click Bait, so I think they’ll fit well together."
Saturday’s expected speed fest is also called the World Record Race, because it was here that Daniel Redén’s American mare Delicious U.S. set the world record for mares with 1:08.6 ten years ago.
The absolute world record on a 1,000-meter track is 1:07.9, held by Swedish-bred Sebastian K., set at Pocono Downs in 2014.
And since there are no mares in this year’s edition, it’s the time that matters if the SEK 500,000 bonus is to be paid out.
"He can’t go that fast, of course. But with the right conditions on Saturday, he could go under 1:10. Then the others will have to be darn good to beat him from the outside," says Jan Ove Olsen.
"Much more alert"
So much for the upset specialist.
And if Mizai wins, it won’t be much of a surprise.
It would, however, be a big surprise if Farmens Riska were to win the Mare Championship (V75-4).
And here the signals are unexpectedly positive around the cold-blooded trotter, who recently returned to racing after ten months off due to injury.
"She’s had two races in her and feels a heck of a lot better in training after the last start. I trained her today, and she was much more alert than before. You can really tell she’s come out of these races the right way."
How long have you been aiming for this race?
"Pretty much since she was injured last autumn. I immediately thought the goal would be to get her back for this, given she finished fourth last year. Now it worked out perfectly that she’s had two races in her as well. And she finished strongly behind horses last time."
That’s supported by the positioning system, which shows that Farmens Riska trotted 1:22.1 for the last 500 meters, the second fastest closing time in the race.
"And I still had to pull her up twice and weave a bit."
Is she good enough against a mare like 7 Majblomster?
"It’s tough, of course. That one has been very good and has faced elite horses, so it’ll certainly be difficult. But we’ll try to give her a run for her money. My mare isn’t bad from the start either, and if we manage to reach the lead, I wouldn’t hesitate to test it. She also enjoys racing in that position."
Are there any changes you can make to make your horse even better for such a big race?
"There’s a lot one could do. I want to try her barefoot in front, but unfortunately, her hooves are poor. And she’s never had pull-down blinds. But I’m doubtful if she’s ready for that. I’ll need to think about both things during the week, but as it stands now, we’ll wait and go the same as last time."
"But even without any changes, I expect her to be much better than in her last start and at least as good as when she was fourth last year."
Could she be another autumn upset, Olsen-style?
"It’s not impossible. If you’re covering the favorite, I think you should include her at least."