V75®: A sharp trio of three-year-olds
He has crushed his previous numbers and is climbing like a rocket in the standings.
David Persson is heading for a record-breaking year.
"A lot has to do with me learning how to train three-year-olds," explains the successful trainer, who is sending out exactly three three-year-olds in V75® at Örebro and comes with high expectations.
Last year, he set a personal record by earning SEK 5 million, which landed him in 31st place in the Swedish trainers’ standings.
But this year, David Persson has shifted into another gear.
With over SEK 7 million earned in the first eight months of the year, he is on track to double his numbers and currently sits in 15th place in the same league.
Not bad for someone who only got his professional license in 2022.
"It’s a combination of many things," is his first, somewhat vague, answer to why everything has taken off this year.
But if you ask again, the answer is more substantial:
"Partly, we have more racehorses. At the same time, I think everything keeps getting better and better. It’s about all the people around me and all the collaborations. Staff, veterinarian, farrier – everyone has taken good steps forward, and the whole stable has stepped up," says David Persson.
Can’t you point to something more specific?
"Yes, the young horses, of course. This is the first year we’ve had a slightly higher class of young horses. With Nightlife In leading the way, that has generated SEK 2 million. Of course, that means a lot. Previously, we’ve had rather poor results there, at least with the three-year-olds."
Why has it improved?
"I had very little experience with three-year-olds before. I haven’t been at this for very many years, and a lot of it comes down to learning how to train them. It’s like two completely different sports, training young horses versus older horses."
In what way are they different?
"Young horses generally get much lighter training. You can’t work them as hard in the sand as with older, fully developed horses. You have to balance it. I’d say your feel for horses is tested even more with young ones. You have to take into account many factors, like how they move and how to adapt the training accordingly."
Nightlife In, the stable’s new star, has belonged to the top of his crop all season, finished second in the latest E3 final, and has earned SEK 1.5 million.
On Saturday, he will be one of three three-year-olds from Persson’s stable starting in V75. But he will be the only one facing horses of the same age when he battles for a first prize of SEK 1 million in the short E3 final for colts and geldings (V75-3).
The other two will face older horses in their regular classes.
How do you feel about matching three-year-olds against older horses this early in the season?
"Of course, it’s tough. But at the same time, I think these two on Saturday have shown times and speeds that make them competitive in their fairly low classes. Njuta In and perhaps especially Pivot Express are early win contenders, as I see it."
Would you consider racing Nightlife In in his regular class (the Silver division)?
"No, I wouldn’t. That’s a completely different matter."
Where do you draw the line, then, for matching three-year-olds against older horses?
"Good question. Probably at Class 2, where we’re entered on Saturday. In the two lowest classes of V75, I think three-year-olds can hold their own. Once they’ve earned more than that, it gets tougher," says David Persson.
Shoe removal and a new bridle
As for Nightlife In, he is coming off a defeat from the lead as a heavy favorite at Vaggeryd.
"Of course, that was unfortunate, but he’s a horse that is hard to keep at peak form. He’s big and heavy-bodied, which means you can’t keep him in top shape all the time. After the last E3 final, I gave him some rest and then trained him harder again – really tough work in the sand track for three weeks. That often comes at the cost of form in the first start back. But with that race under his belt, I hope he’ll be at his peak on Saturday – this race has been the goal all summer."
In the previous E3 final, Nightlife In raced in the lead, a position he usually races in. In fact, the fast starter has only once raced from behind since joining Persson last winter, and that resulted in a victory.
"That happens when he’s so quick out of the gate. But I actually think he’s even better from behind – or at least more motivated. He enjoys chasing more than being chased. Still, if the horse is the favorite, you don't really want to give up the lead – and certainly not in a big-money E3 final. But this time, the draw solved it for us automatically. Now he’ll get the chance to show what he can do from behind."
What makes you think he’ll perform better with a covered-up trip?
"That’s the impression he gives, and both I and the driver (Carl Johan Jepson) have had that feeling for a long time. He’s very explosive behind the gate, but once he’s used that speed to take the lead, he sort of ‘switches off.’ I think that’s why he has trouble accelerating in the same way at the finish. In front, he’s more like a diesel car – he just keeps going. Now, when he races from behind, I hope he’ll be more motivated to shift gears at the end. But we’ll see on Saturday."
You’ve entered him barefoot all around for the first time – will he race like that?
"Yes, we’re very eager to take off all four shoes. In the last E3 final, I kept aluminum shoes in front, which worked fine, but I think he’ll be a bit more efficient if we can remove those, too. He still brushes his legs a little, and hopefully we can solve that."
Does that mean you can remove the boots from his legs as well?
"Yes, maybe. I’m considering it. We’ll see."
How do you rate his chances on Saturday?
"I think he’s a winning candidate, even if he can’t use his starting speed. Form-wise, I hope he’s a little better than in the last final – maybe he was actually in better form in the elimination than in the final. Either way, he should improve a lot with that start in his legs."
Are you changing anything else besides the shoeing?
"Yes, probably a small bridle change too. He has raced with an open-eye blind bridle lately, and a regular blind bridle before that. Maybe I’ll close him up a little more with blinkers. He hasn’t tried that before. It’s a small detail, but I hope it will make him a bit more motivated," says David Persson.
David Persson on his other two V75 starters:
"2 Njuta In (V75-4) wasn’t a horse I believed in early in her career – she was very unmotivated and had trouble even keeping up in races. I even advised the owners not to invest in her, but they were persistent, and it’s fun to be wrong sometimes. Now she’s become incredibly useful and, above all, has shown that she loves racing barefoot. She became much more effective once we took the shoes off. I see post two as no problem, but she hasn’t been able to leave quickly, which is strange since she’s a small, handy horse. I think she simply hasn’t understood what to do. I’ll train some volt starts with her on Thursday to see if she gets it. If she makes the lead, that would be very exciting, because at home she tries much harder when she's in front. Still, she’s done well from behind against tough opponents, so I wouldn’t rule out her fighting for the win from there either. She should be considered early, in my opinion."
"4 Pivot Express (V75-5) is the one I believe in the most on Saturday. From what I feel in training, he’s not far behind Nightlife In in terms of heart and lung capacity, and he showed that in his last race as well. Unfortunately, I’ve had trouble getting his gait right, which has kept the drivers from pushing him to the max. But last time, everything finally clicked. He had been to the vet, got some freshening up, and we have also changed his shoeing and added some weight upfront. That made his gate better, and he raced great all the way to the finish line. We are keeping the same setup now, including a can’t-see-back roll on the left side, which also had the desired effect. If he trots as well on Saturday, I believe it may also help his gate speed, and I would very much like to see him in the lead, the position all his wins have come from. The frequent starts should also bring his form forward further, provided he stays sound. All three of my horses on Saturday are extremely dependent on good grip in the track, but considering how well Örebro’s surface has been maintained for quite some time, I can’t imagine that will be a problem."