V85®: Full throttle from the in-form trainer
A stable that keeps improving year by year.
One of the country’s most value-for-money drivers last year.
A win every other start in 2026.
Olle Alsén has no intention of holding back when V85® visits Eskilstuna.
“I will do everything in my power to get to the lead with Mago Launcher.”
Still developing – at the age of 50.
Olle Alsén has steadily improved his results, both as a trainer and a driver.
The stable’s first 4,000 starters were below six percent in wins.
Over the most recent 1,000 races, that figure has more than doubled.
At the turn of the year, Alsén could sum up his third consecutive season with more than 30 wins and SEK 3 million in earnings.
A clear step up compared to how things looked before 2020.
“That was when we started building the new training tracks here on the farm, and since they were completed, it has kept getting better all the time. We have fine-tuned details and now have a more complete training facility. But the most important factor is that we have better stock to work with. It is easier to win with a good horse than to earn money with a bad one, as I usually say. We have much better horses now than we did back then. Many small things add up to continued improvement, and of course, you also try to develop yourself,” says Olle Alsén, who has also taken on a more prominent role in the sulky.
Value-for-money as a driver
Above all, he has shown an ability to get horses home that the bettors do not believe in, in other words, at high odds.
This meant that he was the country’s third most value-for-money driver (among those who drove at least 300 races) during 2025 with an ROI (Return On Investment) of 114 percent.
In other words, anyone who bet SEK 100 to win on Olle Alsén every time he sat in the sulky in Sweden during 2025 made a net profit of nearly SEK 5,000.
Add to that the fact that he became the driving champion on Åland.
Can you become sharper as a driver at your age?
“I think so. I turned 50 last year, and I remember when Ulf Eriksson, who is ten years older than me, became Driver of the Year for Trav Gävleborg at the same age. He said that, of course, you get better with more experience. And with the younger generation pushing the pace, with Mats and Magnus Djuse at the forefront, you have to develop in order to have a chance to keep up,” says Olle Alsén.
And right now, he is certainly keeping up. Stall Alsén has gotten a flying start to 2026 with three wins in six starts.
“It feels like a bit of a reward for all the hard work in November and December. Those were not pleasant working conditions, with pouring rain and temperatures around zero most days. But the training tracks held up well, and we were able to train at full capacity anyway. Now, when there is packed snow and clear weather, it is much more enjoyable to work.”
Saved the pull-out earplugs
The next three starters all race on Saturday, with all horses competing in the V85®.
First out is the horse they have the lowest expectations for.
12 Joyful Argos (V85-2), who returns after four months away from racing.
“He got a bit sore last fall, was freshened up, and then had a training period. Last Thursday, I brought him to Gävletravet and gave him a workout before the races. I must admit I was surprised by how good he felt. He trained in 1:17 over the full distance, with 1:16 the final lap, faster than I usually train.”
It will be the first time in his career that the horse returns after such a long break.
“Yes, and that of course makes the form hard to assess. He is also not really the type that benefits from racing in winter conditions; he has a somewhat special gait, and it works out best barefoot all around. However, the workout indicates he should perform well. That said, we lay low from post 12.”
Expectations are considerably higher for the stable’s other two horses.
5 Fakir Vendil (V85-3) has come back strongly after a serious injury last winter and has not finished worse than fourth in six starts since his comeback in October.
“That time he was locked in with plenty left, and he won both the start before and most recently, so everything points in the right direction. I think he is a good horse fundamentally, and he is stronger than fast, so racing over a longer distance for the first time should only be a positive. On the other hand, I did not cheer when I saw that we drew post 5 in the volt start.”
Will you lose ground at the start?
“No, I do not think so. But there is a risk of a break, because he is a very big horse and not easy to turn tightly. But if I manage it, he can probably leave fast from there as well.”
Fast enough to get to the lead?
“That might be a bit far-fetched, but if we managed it, it would be exciting. He has never raced in that position, but he has been good first over, so it would be fun to try him there. He is a strong, gritty horse who likes to battle all the way to the finish,” says Olle Alsén, who also has an extra gear saved.
“Yes, the pull-out earplugs. He has raced with them in his last two starts, but we have still not pulled them. Two starts ago, we were locked in, and last time it was so cold that I could not pull the cord because my hands were freezing.”
So you switch to thicker gloves on Saturday?
“I do not think that will be necessary. That day it was minus 27, we should avoid that now. In any case, he is a horse who likes wintry conditions, so the colder the better for us. He is definitely the type that should respond extra well to pull-off earplugs, so it is an exciting option to still have available for this race.”
Time for blinds
The tone is also optimistic around 5 Mago Launcher (V85-7) – a pronounced front-runner who comes off two straight wins from his favorite position. Overall, his record from the lead is 9 starts: 8–1–0, with the loss coming against the winning machine Fine Manners in the summer of 2024.
“I don't know why, but he tries in a completely different way when he gets to race in the lead. I have never had a horse that was that extreme. When he ends up in cover, he mostly just follows along, but when he is first, he loves to race and not let anyone pass him.”
So he empties himself when he is in the lead?
“No, I would not say that either. It is more that he responds to other horses. He is somewhat lazy, even when he is up front. Last time I sat there and got to the first kilometer in 1:19 with loose lines, but as soon as they come close, he responds, then he thinks it is fun. And he knows exactly where the finish line is, you can tell by the way his ears go up as soon as we get there.”
So your chance to win on Saturday depends on getting to the front?
“Yes, absolutely. I will do everything I can to get there.”
But he usually does not take the lead out of the gate, more often in the volt start?
“Yes, that is correct. In the volt start he is extremely quick, behind the car he is more average. But this time I will try a new bridle to make him sharper. We tried a blind bridle last year, but he became too aggressive and broke. That is why he has always raced with an open bridle since then. But now that he is more experienced, I think he is ready for it. I will try it in training on Thursday and then decide, but some type of blind bridle is due now.”
Is first over his second-best position if you miss the lead?
“Yes, in regular overnight races, at least. But racing first over on the national circuit is very tough. If we are going to win the race, it has to be from the lead, which is why we are putting everything into getting there.”
How do you assess your winning chances on Saturday?
“I really know too little about the opponents to answer that properly. I usually don't study them myself, but read what the journalists write. But I was optimistic when I entered Fakir and Mago, and I am no less optimistic after the draw. If Mago had drawn post 12, it would have been over. Now it feels like we have been given a chance, and then we have to race for it,” says Olle Alsén.