V85®: Elitlopp prep in Tingsryd
On Saturday the eyes of Swedish harness racing will be directed toward the country’s only mile track in Tingsryd.
With Elitloppet horses on site, it could turn into a real speedfest.
"We definitely want a good performance from him ahead of the Elitloppet," says A Fair Day’s driver Oscar Ginman.
On Saturday V85® will be held for the first time at Sweden’s longest harness oval. One lap at Tingsrydtravet measures one mile - 1,609 meters - which should produce faster times than on the traditional 1,000-meter tracks. However, according to his driver, the track’s size does not make much difference for Elisabeth Almheden’s A Fair Day (V85-7).
"He has raced well at Tingsryd before but he is probably not directly favored by it being a mile track. He has such a good gait around the turns that he would probably race well even on an 800-meter track,” says Oscar Ginman.
The fan favorite has not raced at Tingsryd since the summer of 2023, when as a four-year-old he won a Class 1 elimination from the lead and then closed well to finish second in a Breeders’ Crown leg. Since then he has taken major steps forward and is now an established name at the very highest elite level.
"Stronger than last year"
Most recently the seven-year-old comes from a second-place finish in the major race Orebro Int'l.
"It turned into a tough race as expected and he delivered an okay performance, but I had expected a little more from him that day."
A Fair Day had a demanding trip from double handicaps over a grueling three kilometers. This time it is 1,609 meters that applies and a lot suggests that Oscar Ginman can drive to the lead from post two behind the gate.
"The posts do not matter as much at Tingsryd as on other tracks and with the long stretch you are maybe not as favored by racing in the lead either, but of course it is always the shortest way home regardless of the size of the track."
A Fair Day is already invited to the Elitloppet, just like challenger Jobspost from post four, and Saturday’s start will be his final one before the speedfest at Solvalla on May 31. Last year he finished fourth there after setting his lifetime mark - 1:09.1 - when third in his elimination. Maybe he can lower that time on Saturday?
“I don’t know how fast he can go at Tingsryd and maybe this is not his most important race either, but apart from last time the horse has felt stronger than last year and on Saturday we definitely want a good performance from him ahead of the Elitloppet.”
Could go either way
A Fair Day’s little brother and stablemate Maroon Day (V85-6) will also race at Tingsryd on Saturday. He starts over the mile in the Silver Division and he too drew post two behind the gate. But after five straight victories he was nothing like himself last time out.
"As soon as I ask him to go, he got rough gaited and he has never behaved like that before. He could maybe take an occasional bad step before but never like that," says Oscar Ginman.
The horse has been treated in his fetlocks after his most recent start but that is not enough for his driver to feel completely comfortable ahead of Saturday.
"I had almost hoped they would find something more, so that we could really feel secure that they found the reason behind the problems. Now it is very difficult to know how he will perform, so regarding his chances it could go either way this time," says Ginman with a laugh.
If Maroon Day performs well at Tingsryd, a Silver Division final during Elitloppet weekend awaits. So there is quite a lot at stake when the Småland mile track hosts V85 on Saturday.