V86 (jackpot): The Sprint Champion is back – "He will race himself tired"
He won the Sprint Championship in impressive fashion, and now Nightlife In is back on the racetrack.
On Wednesday, David Persson's star trotter comes out in a four-year-old race at Örebro – and after that, the focus is on the Swedish Trotting Derby.
"We have taken him back a little to have the horse in the best possible shape for the Derby eliminations. The most important thing for me is that he gets to race himself tired in a good way, because then he will improve a lot for his next start. The driver is welcome to step on the gas," says David Persson.
V86 takes place at Örebro with a card boosted by a jackpot, with SEK 12 million in the pot for eight correct picks. On the card is a four-year-old race that has attracted just six horses, with the Sprint Champion Nightlife In among them. This will be his first start since his superb victory in the Sprint Championship, where he took home the SEK 1.2 million in first prize. It was another major success for the accomplished trainer David Persson, and the horse was once again driven skillfully by Carl Johan Jepson.
"It was absolutely fantastic, and the horse was incredible that night. You often get asked how it feels and how you're going to celebrate and so on, but for me, the satisfaction itself is more than enough. That feeling that you've done something right and that the entire plan with training and race planning has worked perfectly. Getting to feel that is the biggest celebration for me. I really try to take it in and pat myself on the back, but then this industry is so very special that you're always looking ahead," says David Persson.
The Axevalla trainer has 48 horses in training, and as the successes continue, interest in his services is also increasing.
"Right now, the industry is very tough. There are a few good trainers who get a lot of horses into training, and it's not as if owners are suddenly lining up just because you've won the Sprintermästaren. But it has generated some response, and I think my name is circulating a little more among the country's owners now than it perhaps did before the Sprint Championship."
"The driver is welcome to step on the gas – no prep race"
Nightlife In has always been among the best in his crop and made his breakthrough as early as February last year as a three-year-old when he won Margaretas Tidiga Unghästserie at Solvalla. He was then a close second in the E3 final over the middle distance before winning the short-distance E3 final. During the fall, the horse won his Swedish Trotting Criterium elimination, but finished unplaced in the final. The four-year-old stallion has already earned more than SEK 5.5 million, and there could be much more to come. Trainer Persson has a clear goal, with the Swedish Trotting Derby now on the horizon, and the horse is to be at his peak again for the Derby eliminations on August 25, two weeks from now, with his "Sprint Championship form." He is using the same setup with his star as he did going into the Sprint Championship, with frequent starts, where Nightlife In first got a tightener at Rättvik in the start before the Sprint Championship, which did wonders for him in the big race. Wednesday's start at Örebro is intended as a similar setup ahead of the Derby eliminations.
"It's a little silly to say it, but I always try to have the horse in the best possible shape. I also have complete confidence in the driver, and he is responsible for how he drives. But as a trainer, I want the horse to race himself tired on Wednesday. In a good way. So, as far as I'm concerned, the driver is welcome to step on the gas because he'll improve a lot with this start in his legs. We won't race with optimal balance and equipment, but it won't be a prep race. This is a big, somewhat lazy horse who needs to feel that he's racing. He doesn't benefit from a prep race, and the feeling is that he should come to the Derby eliminations in the same form as he had going into the Sprint Championship," says David Persson.
"Want to dream and believe he'll be ready for a Derby too"
What do you otherwise think of the assignment with post five behind the gate in V86-3 in a race with only six horses?
"The post is good, right behind the car at Örebro, and he is fast out of the gate. He faces some good horses, including Blank, and he can certainly be competitive anyway – that's how good my horse is. But I still want to be clear that we have taken him back a little after the Sprint Championship, and he'll race with shoes all around and a can't-see-back bridle. He raced with an open-eye blind bridle in the Sprint Championship elimination and with blinkers in the final."
"Then, as I said, the plan is for him to be at his peak in his next start in the Derby eliminations, and then everything will be optimal, including racing barefoot all around. As for the sulky, he'll race in the same American sulky he has done previously."
"It's possible that the Sprint Championship was his race, but at the same time I want to dream and believe that the horse will be ready for a Derby as well. He showed that he can handle the long distance when he won his Swedish Trotting Criterium elimination last year over 2,640 meters," says David.
"Has surprised me tremendously – will leave as fast as she can"
In addition to Nightlife In, the Axevalla trainer has two more horses in strong form starting in the V86, and it sounds as though both should be considered early.
"2 Captiva (V86-1) has surprised me tremendously, I have to say. It was very unexpected that she won her debut for us, and then she followed that up by being really good again in her most recent start. She never saw the pylons and trotted in 1:10.7 when finishing third in the V85, and we simply have to conclude that the horse is better than I thought. There's nothing to suggest she'll be any worse now, and it was nice that she got such a good post. She will leave as fast as she can from the start, and it would be interesting to see her in the lead, even if it may be difficult to get there. No changes."
"1 Livorno (V86-8) was really good when he won his last start. He sat among the last in the field and sprinted past them. Now he is in the front tier behind the gate and has a clearly better post compared with last time, when he started from the second tier. The inside post is a little tricky, but even if he can't hold the lead, he'll likely get an easier trip than last time. I'm very optimistic about him putting in another good performance, and then we'll see how things work out from there. No changes," says David Persson.