V75®/Åby Stora Pris: Benefits from the long distance
Undefeated over three laps and five wins in eight starts in long-distance races.
Önas Prince thrives under the conditions for Saturday’s stamina test, the Åby Stora Pris.
"I’m very optimistic," says the star trotter’s trainer and driver, Per Nordström.
The Åby Stora Pris has historically been contested over both middle and sprint distances, but since 2018, it has been raced over 3,140 meters with a mobile (autostart) start.
"The distance is an advantage for him," says Per Nordström.
The 15-time millionaire finished second in the Swedish Trotting Derby as a four-year-old, and in seven other starts over the long distance, he has racked up five wins. This spring, there were plans to start the eight-year-old in the Harper Hanover race during the Elitloppet weekend at Solvalla, but instead the team opted for a slightly easier race at their home track, Jägersro, before heading west to Norway.
"I think he’ll have a very long and good season this year because he didn’t race in Harpers on a slightly tougher and faster track. He got a short breather instead, then delivered two excellent efforts in Norway, and he was terrific last time out as well."
In Norway, Önas Prince finished second in the Oslo Grand Prix before defending his title in the Ulf Thoresen Grand International. He then crossed the line fourth in the Hugo Åbergs Memorial, locked in with plenty left in the tank.
"When we drew post ten, I knew things could get tricky, and when Johan’s horse (Dancer Brodde) broke stride, I could either ease up and end up last on the outside, or keep my momentum and take a chance on the inside. I chose the inside, and he had quite a lot saved at the finish. The pace was quick at the end, and I only had to urge him once in the stretch before grabbing up just before the wire. He usually responds well when I pull the earplugs, and they were still in," Per Nordström sums up the Hugo Åbergs race.
"Very optimistic"
The draw didn’t go in Önas Prince’s favor this time either, but his trainer isn’t concerned about starting from post eleven.
"It doesn’t matter much. It was worse starting in the second tier in the Hugo Åbergs over 1,600 meters, but now with three laps, a lot can happen along the way. I’m not sure I would have wanted to race him in the lead even if we were in the first tier. Now we have this post position, and as I said, a lot can happen over three laps."
How does he feel in training after his last start?
"He feels great—supple, fresh, and happy."
Are the preparations different for three laps compared to a sprint?
"They can be if there’s a longer gap between races, but now that he’s racing with a couple of weeks between starts, we won’t change anything in training—we’ll keep going with light work. The Åbergs race helped his form, and as I said, he feels fantastic. I’m very optimistic and think he definitely deserves to be considered among the top contenders."
Any equipment changes?
"I think we’ll put a pull-down bridle on him so it’s open at the start, and then I can pull it down whenever I want."
First time barefoot all around
Stablemate Bravo Balthastore (V75-2) will also be competing in the V75® races at Åby. He makes his third start for Per Nordström and will start with a 20-meter handicap in Class 3 against Class 2 horses.
"He was good in his seasonal debut but a little off in the second start. Sometimes they can take a small step back after training hard, and he was a bit dull and sluggish. This time, we might tweak things a bit—possibly pulling all four shoes and maybe using earplugs. Hopefully, he’ll bounce back now that he has two starts in his legs. I definitely expect a better performance than last time."