V85® (Sunday): The amateur challenges the big stables in the Swedish Trotting Derby
He got off to a tentative start as a three-year-old.
With amateur trainer Angelica Jonsson, he has blossomed.
On Sunday, Carros First King will take on the big names in the Swedish Trotting Derby at Jägersro.
"It’s really hard to take in that we’re actually in a Derby final and facing such tough competition. But we’re here and we’re going to fight for it," says the Axevalla-based trainer.
It has been 47 years since Alf Lindholm’s May Björn secured an eternal place in trotting history. Since then, no horse trained by an amateur has won the blue-ribbon event of Swedish trotting. This year, it could happen again. Carros First King (V85-7) has impressed and is very much among the contenders to win this year’s edition of the Swedish Trotting Derby.
"I’m incredibly proud that he’s in the Derby. People who aren’t involved with horses don’t realize how difficult it is to get a horse into a Derby final. A horse gets one chance in a lifetime and nothing can go wrong," says Angelica Jonsson.
The fact that she runs a small amateur training operation with only four horses on her training list makes qualifying a horse for the Derby even more impressive.
"The big trainers have somewhat different conditions than a small trainer like me. They have an entire army of horses they can enter in the Derby eliminations, so of course it feels huge to be able to be in there and fight for it despite having limited resources."
Remarkable development
Carros First King began his career last year with successful Axevalla trainer David Persson, who himself has two finalists in this year’s Derby, but the horse failed to deliver and after five starts he was transferred to Angelica Jonsson.
"The horse got Lyme disease, and the owners, whom we’ve known for some time, decided to bring him here. Quite simply, it costs too much for a private owner to have a horse that isn’t racing with a professional trainer. We had him gelded and then he stayed."
The owners Mats Olausson and Emil Engblom certainly have no reason to regret that decision. This year, Carros First King has won five of nine races and has never missed the board.
"His season has been absolutely incredible. He started the year with SEK 35,000 in his account in March, and since then he has earned another SEK 800,000-plus. He has done incredibly well."
The horse’s remarkable development isn’t the result of any extraordinary methods. It is training, training and more training that has been behind the success.
"He got two months off when he came to us, and then we started training in October. He needed to build a lot of strength to be able to handle himself. He has quite a big gait, so he had a lot of training sessions before he started racing. So we haven’t done any miracle work; it has simply been a lot of training."
Top performance in the elimination
The dream of making the Derby began to take shape when Carros First King won the Class 3 final during the Elitlopp weekend at Solvalla in May.
"We already thought highly of him before that, but that was when we realized how good he could become," says Angelica Jonsson.
If anyone still doubted the horse’s ability, those doubts were put to rest in the Derby elimination. Racing over the long distance for the first time, he won despite a tough trip outside the leader.
"I think he was the best elimination winner because he did everything himself. He maybe didn’t face the very best horses, but he didn’t just stumble into the final by accident. But I almost wanted to leave the track when Örjan [Kihlström] came three wide and Björn [Goop] hung him out. I thought, ‘Now the poor guy is going to stagger home.’ But Björn is phenomenal and knew exactly what he was doing."
The fact that the horse handled 2,640 meters with flying colors was, of course, a reassuring sign.
"I already thought the distance would suit him. He has incredible physical ability, an incredible heart and incredible lung capacity. It’s difficult to make him tired in training, so this is probably his distance."
"Absolutely one of those who can win"
After a draw among the elimination winners, Angelica Jonsson got to choose her starting post in the final as the third selection, and with the two inside posts already taken, she chose post three behind the starting gate.
"I’m obviously very happy with the starting post. From there, it shouldn’t cost too much to find a good position, and Björn knows how to win these races, so I trust him."
For her part, Angelica Jonsson is doing everything she can to present Carros First King in the best possible condition. The horse had his final tougher training session on Tuesday, and on Friday he will get one last fine-tuning workout.
"I was incredibly pleased with yesterday’s workout, and he is absolutely one of those who can win on Sunday. I think this year’s field is fairly open. There is no horse that is unbeatable or totally dominant, and he has kept improving all the time. We don’t know how good he is. Even though he has been good, I don’t think we’ve seen his full potential yet, and I hope he takes another small step forward on the development curve during these ten days between the elimination and the final."
The Swedish Trotting Derby starts at 5:17 p.m. on Sunday. Eternal glory and a winner’s check for SEK 2 million await at the finish line. For Carros First King and the other horses participating in Premiechansen, another 50 percent of the purse will be added. That is huge for anyone. For an amateur trainer with four horses on her training list, it is enormous.
"I can’t really comprehend how big it would be to win the Derby. I was speechless when he made it through the elimination, so imagining what it would be like to win the final is impossible."