V86®: Eriksson comeses with a truck full of horses: "They are all nice horses"
Well prepared for V86® on home soil.
There are conditions for plenty of success for Christoffer Eriksson, who has horses in every leg at Åby.
"He is a horse who has a high floor and normally puts in a good race right away," says the trainer about millionaire Indy Boy, who is returning to racing.
Summer is slowly beginning to wind down, something that is also reflected in V86®, which is back in its Xpress format split between two tracks.
The midweek highlight is shared between Solvalla and Åby, and at the track on the Swedish west coast, hometown trainer Christoffer Eriksson is well represented. The trainer has starters in every leg at the Mölndal oval.
"They are all nice horses who should be able to be right up there," says Christoffer when we call for a rundown of the quintet.
In the seventh leg, the stable has a duo.
9 Indy Boy (V86-7) stacked up four straight wins at the beginning of the season, all in V85 and V86, and continued to compete in the tough STL competition, but has now not been seen in racing gear for the past six weeks.
"Indy Boy got a well-deserved little break after his most recent start. He had been racing continuously and at a good, high level all the time. Everything seems good with him heading into this, and it will be fun to start racing this horse again."
How is the horse's form now compared with what he showed when he was winning this spring?
"Of course, he has earned quite a bit of money during the season, and now he has also been away for a few weeks, so I don't think you can expect peak form. At the same time, he is a horse with a high floor, and normally he puts in a good race right away. We got a second-tier post position, but it's a short field, so I'll probably sit until the last 700-800 meters and see how it ends up."
In the same race, which is a handicap, we also find 2 I.D. Hipster One (V86-7), who has also had a little breather after his most recent appearance.
"He was quite poor in his most recent race at Halmstad, so he got to recover a little afterward, but he has been training well for some time now and feels ready to race again. He is quick out of the gate and also likes to be involved near the front right away, so the post is good. We hope he can get a good position immediately. I don't really know if the lead will be an option; Stefan Persson can decide how he wants to handle that."
Your two horses in the race against each other – do you feel one has an advantage?
"Well, Indy Boy may be the better horse, but I.D. Hipster One is also good and has a better post. If Indy Boy runs into traffic problems, you never know. Everything always has to work out in the races."
Still competing in a low class
An interesting four-year-old is found in Wednesday's opening division.
3 Express Jab (V86-1) also competed in the Swedish Trotting League early in the season, but when he recently returned to finish third in a race at Halmstad, it was his first start in almost three months.
"He was castrated after the break, and now the horse feels much more smoother and better. We were pleased with him in his most recent start, and it feels like he is ready to put in a good performance now. Of course, he will improve quite a bit with that start in his legs, and he has previously shown that he is very good for the class. He was racing in V85 most of the time this spring. Normally, he should have a pretty good chance of being right up there here."
The three-year-old filly 9 Beautiful Mind S. (V86-3) is an interesting one.
The horse began her racing career in the Netherlands and joined the Eriksson stable this spring. After a difficult start for her current trainer, she showed her ability last time with a convincing victory from the lead.
"I was a little disappointed with her in her debut for me, but last time when she won, she was as good as we thought she would be. Now we hope she can continue putting in those consistent, good performances, and it also feels like the horse is still competing in a very low class. She got a second-tier starting position here, which is unfortunate because she has proven to be quick out of the gate, but that's the post she got, and I still think she should certainly be considered here."
What about 1 Readly J.R. (V86-5), who held on strongly last time and now got an interesting starting position?
"He put in a great effort to finish second at Åby last time, and he is in good form now. It feels like he should be better with that start. The inside post is good, but when he had it last time, he couldn't hold the lead, so maybe he is faster from farther out in the track. At the same time, he is fairly quick, so perhaps the worst-case scenario is that he gets the pocket here, and that works well at Åby. I think he is one of those who can be right up there in the race," says Christoffer Eriksson.