V86: Djuse praises his winning horse – "He is one of the strongest horses in the stable"
He has won four times in seven starts and comes off a victory in V85 last time out.
The four-year-old prospect Readly Winner not only has a huge will to win but also strength as his main asset.
"He is one of the strongest horses in the stable," says trainer Mattias Djuse.
Wednesday’s V86 Xpress is shared between Åby and Solvalla. At the capital track, Mattias Djuse starts an interesting horse in Readly Winner, who has undeniably begun his career in very promising fashion. He has recorded four wins from seven starts and has only missed the podium once, when he finished fourth. Last time, the horse showed first-class attitude when he had a long way up to the leader but closed and battled his way to victory right on the line in V85 at Gävle.
"1 Readly Winner (V86-6) is a nice horse with tremendous strength. We have not yet found the bottom in him, and he has never been tired after his races. On the occasions when he hasn’t won, there has been speed racing in the race, or he has ended up in a slightly awkward position. His gait has improved steadily with each start he has made. He has a big stride and covers a lot of ground," says Mattias Djuse.
Is he quite simply one of the strongest horses in the stable?
"Yes, I think so. One of them at least, because as I said, he is very strong. But he also has speed, which he showed last time. The conditions at Gävle were tricky, but he handled them well. He also showed great courage by winning the race despite having a lot of ground to make up. He finished very sharply, and that is probably the best race he has done, even though he was really good in the start before as well.
"The horse needed a bit of time and didn’t begin racing until last fall, but that was due to a few minor issues, otherwise he would have started racing earlier."
It has been almost exactly a month since that start when Readly Winner now lines up as the given favorite in the sixth leg of V86. The conditions are the inside post behind the gate over the middle distance, and Magnus A Djuse is once again in the sulky.
"He has trained continuously since last time, and we have aimed him toward the STL final the following Saturday. This race sits well in the calendar, ten days before that, but we will still race him optimally with the same balance and equipment as last time."
How do you rate his chances?
"The inside post can be a trap because normally someone from the outside is likely to be faster out of the gate. He has a big gait and needs a bit of time to build up speed. But if he just gets out into striking position, I think he has a chance again because he can do a fair bit of work on his own."
"It feels like he is developing nicely now, and even though he has earned quick money, it still feels like there is a good margin left before we reach his limit. No changes, as I said," says Mattias Djuse.
"Very good when he won from outside the leader"
The Solvalla trainer has had several outstanding years behind him, with the stable earning SEK 21 million each of the past three years. He has also started the new year strongly with ten wins and a 22 percent strike rate. In addition to Readly Winner, Djuse has another starter on V86, Krut, in the final leg, who has also raced well this winter with several strong placings. He won his seasonal debut and was most recently third after a messy and tough trip.
"11 Krut (V86-8) was very good when he won from outside the leader, and last time he was left hanging out wide, had to drop to last and then race on the inside. He finished well as third and this is a horse who fits the class well. The form is good, but the post is obviously poor. I still think he can be in the mix if things fall into place. No changes."