V75®: Huge effort last time out – "Looks promising"
He came up huge in his most recent start when he won and set a new track record after a lightning fast start.
Comes With Age sits in the pole position in his chase for another V75 victory.
"He was fantastic last time out, and the inside post is perfect for him. It looks very promising" says Stefan P Pettersson.
The horse from Mantorp delivered a 'shut-your-mouth-effort' in his most recent start at Bergsåker when he won impressively in 1:09.8 over 1,640 meters in the silver division. He did it after a furious opening rush where the first 500 meters was trotted at 1:05.7 speed. Comes With Age continued at a high pace and came to the kilometer in 1:09.4. Most people were pretty sure that he would be tired when he hit the home stretch, but the gelding stepped away from his opponents easily for Örjan Kihlström and won at a new track record time at Bergsåker.
"It was just simply fantastic. Some say that a fast time when the horse is on the front should not be taken too seriously, but when you trot the first 500 meters in 1:05 speed and hang on for the win as he did, it's nothing but an incredible effort. It's not often you see those fast first 500 meters and they still manage to hang on" says Stefan P Pettersson.
And adds:
"He set a new track record and Bergsåker is not the fastest track".
Did you see that type of effort coming before the race?
"He was awesome on the Hugo Åbergs night, when he won in 1:09.9 but then he made a break at Åby, in the following start. But that wasn't his fault, it was the track crew that caused the break. He was loaded when he made that break in the lead, in the last turn and that was SEK 250,000 that went up in smoke that day".
How did he come out of his last start?
"He came out of it well. I have just trained him slowly at home on the straight track and he feels great. He has gotten much more stable and has improved a lot this year and everything works out super with him now. Örjan drives him fantastically and the horse has trotted in 1:09 in three of his last five starts. If he can stay sound, he should do well in the gold division this winter" says Stefan.
"Hope he can handle it again"
But before Comes With Age takes the step into the open class, another silver division start awaits this Saturday. It is the finishing V75 leg in Eskilstuna. Comes With Age starts from post position one behind the gate over the short distance and you can assume that trainer Pettersson screamed in joy when he saw the entries.
"The inside post is perfect for him and the way I see it, he is both stable and very quick out of the gate. So, it looks promising and I hope, of course, that he will be able to go wire to wire again. But the mares in the race have made a lot of money and maybe they will all drive against my horse when we drew this post".
"But they tried that last time out and I hope he can handle it if they do so again. We are not making any changes, he will race as he has done before; barefoot all around, with a blind bridle, and in the American sulky" says Stefan P Pettersson.