V86 (jackpot): "I dream that will take the next step"
Last Saturday, Tomas Pettersson won with the longshot Grand Ready Cash.
On Wednesday, he is back in the spotlight again – but in a different position this time with From The Hip.
"I'm not known for being overly optimistic, but I think he has a decent chance to win," says the trainer.
As Solvalla is preparing for the Elitlopp weekend, the V86 card this Wednesday will be shared between Jägersro and Eskilstuna. The card is boosted by a jackpot, which means that a sole winner can take home SEK 15 million.
Last Saturday, the trainer from Bollnäs made the trip to Gävle with one horse and was an upset winner together with Grand Ready Cash.
On Wednesday, he makes the trip with only one horse again, this time to Eskilstuna, a 300-kilometer-long trip. But if 9 From The Hip (V86-8) wins, it won't be a surprise for the bettors.
The 5-year-old is one of the favorites in the last leg, and Tomas Pettersson agrees after a strong seasonal debut.
"I was pleased with his effort. He had to race on the outside, and the trip was a bit tougher than I had hoped for. You prefer an easier trip the first time back after a layoff. It is what it is, and my horse feels good and fresh and seems to have come out of the race well," says Tomas Pettersson.
A lot of potential for development
Last year, From The Hip won five times in 14 starts and made almost SEK 500,000.
"Of course, you should be pleased with that, but I don't think he had much luck when he raced in some tougher races."
How highly do you think of him?
"He has the ability and talent to be a really good horse if he stays healthy; he has a lot of potential for development, no doubt. I think he's good already now, and I dream that he will take the next step. We aim at V75 during this year and maybe some race for 5-year-olds, we will take one start at a time and hope that he keeps developing."
How did he come out of his seasonal debut?
"He came out of it well, and he feels good. He had mainly done heavy training in the pressure cart this past winter and had only seen the racetrack once. I had trained him in 1:18/2,100 meters in a good way, and with that considered, it was a surprisingly good effort."
Do you think he will be even better in this start?
"That's the plan, at least. The training schedule was designed to help him get into better form with each start. Now, he was better than I had thought, and if he can be just a little bit better, it should be good enough. He feels great in training."
He comes out in a long-distance race again. Is that his best distance?
"Well, I don't know about that. I think he's versatile. He doesn't leave very fast yet, but that will come. So far, his strength is his best feature."
Are you making any changes?
"No, not yet. He will race with shoes. I will wait a start or two to pull them."
Lastly, what do you think of his chances?
"I'm not known to be overly optimistic, but From The Hip is a horse I think highly of, and he should have a decent chance to win."