V85® (Saturday): David Persson eyes more trophies – "This is my best chance"

No one could have missed how David Persson has taken his stable to another level over the past few years, setting new records along the way. Last year he shattered all previous figures, more than doubling his best season with earnings of just over SEK 11.8 million and 73 victories, including Nightlife In's E3 Final triumph over the short distance.More recently, Nightlife In delivered another major success by winning The Sprint Championship in dominant fashion, earning the winner's share of SEK 1.8 million. That brings the stable's tally this year to 37 victories and more than SEK 6.5 million in earnings.
"As I've said before, we had a lot of things go our way last year. I have to admit that, although Nightlife In accounted for a big part of it. A lot of things bounced our way, and you have to be grateful for that. At the same time, maybe you earn a little luck when you work hard. If we can get close to those numbers again this year, we'll be satisfied," says David Persson.

It's been almost two weeks since the victory in The Sprint Championship. Looking back now, how highly do you rate that win?"I'd have to say it's right up there with Baron Tilly's victory in the King's Trophy as my two biggest wins. Even though I also won the E3 with Nightlife In last year. He was in unbelievable shape in The Sprint Championship, and honestly, looking back, I think he would have won regardless of how the race unfolded that day. He had something extra that day that most horses simply didn't."
"What those two wins, Baron Tilly in the King's Trophy and Nightlife In in The Sprint Championship, had in common was that we started preparing six or seven weeks beforehand and tried to do everything possible to have them at their very best on that particular day. That's why it was especially satisfying that it all worked out."
How did Nightlife In come out of the race, and what's next?
"He came out of it well, passed the veterinary check with flying colors, and has done some light training since. Now we're looking ahead to the Swedish Trotting Derby eliminations, which are the next major target. He'll make one start beforehand, somewhere between 10 and 20 days before the Derby eliminations. He needs a race to stretch his legs and get tired so he'll be at his absolute best when it really matters."

David Persson operates his stable at Bjertorp in Kvänum but will relocate later this year when the new owner, Daniel Wäjersten, leaves Bergsåker to establish himself as a trainer at Axevalla. As soon as the current tenants learned they would have to move and find a new base, David chose to view it as a new opportunity. He has now finalized plans to move to a farm in Lerdala (formerly Quantum Farms), where the stable will be based in the future."There's no denying it feels a little bittersweet and that there's some anxiety about the move. At the same time, I feel we're in good hands and moving to a farm that we'll be able to help develop, which is exciting. I'm really looking forward to it," he says.
"You can't stand still forever because you have to keep developing yourself as well. It's going to be exciting, and while there's naturally a bit of nervousness, I'm very confident about how we'll be working with the horses going forward. I feel it's going to turn out well."

Before that, however, comes the Stochampionatet weekend, the biggest event of the year for Axevalla's local trainers, with three straight days of racing from Friday through Sunday. David Persson is heavily represented, sending out 21 starters from his stable of 50 horses over the weekend."It's full speed ahead, and you really have to stay organized with all the planning. But it's a lot of fun, and we like aiming a little extra for this particular weekend, giving our owners a great experience and trying to have as many horses as possible competing," says Persson, who traditionally invites his owners to enjoy food and drinks in a tent next to the stable.
"It's great because it adds something extra to the weekend. You get to meet people, spend time with the owners, and enjoy yourself together. It's always very much appreciated."

David Persson sends out five starters on Saturday's V85, and his leading chance comes immediately in the opener with Toto Tooma, who impressed with a dominant wire-to-wire victory last time. Persson has also made his own horse his official best bet in the "Fem Tippar V85" selections.
"4 Toto Tooma (V85-1) was very impressive last time out and crossed the wire with plenty left. He's felt stronger and stronger since then, and we have to go into this race with a lot of confidence. He dropped sharply in class last time, and it was good for him to win so easily because I'd entered him rather aggressively several times before against much tougher opposition. This time there was simply no doubt about it. He has post 4 in the volt start, but I think he's sensible enough that I'm not worried about the draw. We are changing from a blind bridle to a pull-down bridle because I thought he became a little too aggressive with the blind bridle last time. Hopefully we'll also be able to use the same Finntack bike as last time, although I'll discuss that with the driver. I'd definitely say he's my best chance going into Saturday."

In the Gold Division, which features only six starters, David Persson sends out his star Baron Tilly, winner of the King's Trophy two years ago. After a dominant victory in his seasonal debut and a tremendous runner-up finish in Harper Hanover's Race, he has since made two straight breaks. First came the miscue in the Oslo Grand Prix, then another while racing first-over on the final turn in the V86 event at Vaggeryd. In that race, the pull-down bridle had not been activated and the earplugs were still in his ears when he broke.
"6 Baron Tilly (V85-3) started leaning on the bike and lost his rhythm before breaking stride last time. We don't really know why, which obviously wasn't good, and it's very difficult to say exactly what happened. There were a few small things we weren't happy with and have tried to correct. So the feeling is that he'll come into this race in good shape and that we've made the right adjustments. He had plenty left when he broke last time and would have been battling for the win otherwise. It's not a question of stamina, it's about keeping the whole horse together. When he does, we know just how incredibly good he is. Before the Oslo Grand Prix we actually felt he was in the best shape of his life, so it was very unfortunate, but that's racing.""We changed bits and removed the overcheck after the Harper Hanover's Race, but now that he's made two breaks, we're going back to the bit he used in his first races this year, and he'll also get the overcheck back on. He'll also race barefoot all around, which is ideal. We go into this race with a good feeling, and if he stays flat, he'll definitely be right there at the finish," says David Persson before discussing his other three V85 starters.
"2 Sunset Sky (V85-5) hasn't really performed the way we'd hoped in any of his starts this year, and he has some issues with his gait. We've made a few adjustments for this race, and he's trained well. That said, I think this turned out to be a very tough race, so it'll be difficult to win. What bettors should keep in mind, though, is that if the track conditions show red on Saturday, he'll be much better barefoot. The problem is that he doesn't have the best hoof quality, so I need to consult with those who know more about that during the week to see if we can race him without shoes."

"12 Golden Crescent (V85-6) has probably earned around SEK 500,000 this year and has done a fantastic job against tough company in both V85 and V86. He's been among the top three almost every time, but last time he was inexplicably flat and never really picked up the bit. He normally follows the starting gate well, but he lacked any punch from start to finish. I don't have much else to blame besides the long trip we made earlier that day. He's felt good at home since then and should race well, but from post 12 you have to stay realistic.""10 Captiva (V85-7) surprised us when she won last time. It wasn't just a huge upset for the bettors, it was for us as well. We expected an improved performance, but not that she'd beat that kind of competition. It would be an even bigger surprise if she won again now, facing even tougher opposition in V85 from a second-tier draw. Under normal circumstances it shouldn't happen, but we'll give her a nice trip, continue developing her, and take whatever the race gives us."