V85: Baron Tilly returns after a change in training – "Better bounce to his stride"
Two and a half months ago, he delivered a phenomenal performance and defeated elite horses at Åby.
Since then, Baron Tilly has not set foot on a racetrack, but on Saturday, he is back.
"We've changed his training routine, and he now gets some easier training. I think he has better bounce to his stride, and I believe he'll perform well right away," says trainer David Persson.
Bjerke Racetrack outside Oslo hosts Saturday's V85, and making the trip is David Persson, who has three horses entered, particularly a certain Baron Tilly. This highly talented six-year-old is back after a break and has not raced since winning impressively at Åby on August 15 in a time of 1:09.7/1,640 meters.
"We've been to the veterinarian, and then we've changed his training routine. He was good at Åby, but we've rarely been completely satisfied with his performances. It's not that he often feels really sore, but he has minor ailments that we simply don't want him to feel during races. There's so much more in this horse, and we're trying to find some new approaches to how we should prepare him for next year," says David Persson.
He adds:
"He's now had a reduced training workload compared with how he used to train with us. He hasn't had any harder track workouts ahead of this start; instead, he's mostly trained on the sand track, simply at a somewhat lower workload. I think the horse has a better bounce to his stride than before. We hope he'll come out and perform well, and he trained fairly lightly before winning at Färjestad in his seasonal debut this spring, when he performed very well."
"The horse is six years old now, and I still haven't quite figured out how to get him to perform at his best, which is a little frustrating. He's a bit of a hit or miss, but we hope and believe things will work out this time."
"I think extremely highly of this horse – not worried about his performance"
Baron Tilly starts in the Big Noon Trophy, which is also the Gold Division, in V85-4. He has the inside post behind the starting gate over the short distance. As usual, Carl Johan Jepson will drive him, and trainer Persson is optimistic.
"I think extremely highly of this horse, although of course I'm a little biased, too. But I know how good he is, and I'm not worried that he won't perform. That's the attitude I want to go into the race with, although I understand that things can go wrong from this post and that he is facing good opponents."
"The tactics are up to Calle, depending on how he wants to approach the race, but the horse has shown that he can leave quickly, so there's a good chance he'll find himself in a good position. He'll race barefoot all around and with some form of blind bridle. I don't yet know whether it'll be a can't-see-back bridle, a blind bridle, an open-eye bridle, or a pull-down bridle. He raced in an American sulky in his last start, and I need to check with Jepson whether he wants to use the same one or whether we should go with the Finntack Yankee sulky that the horse has used before. I want to keep the options open for now," says David Persson, who will move his operation from Bjertorp to Sparresäter Trotting Camp in Lerdala during the second half of November. This is because Daniel Wäjersten has purchased Bjertorp and will move there on December 1, meaning all the current tenants have been given notice.
"A lot of things will be new there, but there's a similar sand track to the one we have now and excellent training facilities, so it'll be exciting. It will take some getting used to at first, but we're fairly confident it'll work out well," he says.
"Her earnings don't mirror her talent – good this class"
The Axevalla-based trainer has two more horses in V85 and sounds hopeful about both, believing they deserve consideration.
"10 Livorno (V85-5) was good when winning most recently and put in a strong final lap. We've been targeting this race, and he should handle 2,600 meters well. We knew he'd get a good position in this handicap, and I think he's more than good enough for his class. No changes; he raced with a pull-down bridle in his most recent start, and he'll use the same again."
"1 Eye To Eye (V85-8) has made two starts for us, and we've been pleased with the horse. She won right away, and most recently I experimented a little by racing her without hind shoes, but she interfered with herself at the start and made a break. I still think the performance she delivered after the break should take her a long way in this race. She'll most likely get shuffled back a little from the inside post, but she's good for this class and her earnings don't mirror her talent. She'll race barefoot up front but with hind shoes now, just as when she won two starts ago. A pull-down bridle again, with no other changes," says David Persson.