V86®: Phantom Express feels like a new horse – never beaten beforehand
He won seven races last year, finished second in the E3 final, third in the Swedish Trotting Criterium, and earned just over three million SEK.
Phantom Express is now back after a planned training period, with his aim set on the Swedish Trotting Derby this fall.
"I'm happy with the preparations, and it will be fun to get him going again. He's developed a lot compared to last year and feels like a new horse," says trainer Joakim Elfving, going into Wednesday’s start in the Four-year-old test in Eskilstuna.
Sundbyholm Racetrack is hosting Wednesday’s V86, where the highlight is the Four-year-old test with SEK 300,000 awaiting the winner. Several high-class four-year-olds will compete for the rich first prize, and one interesting contender is Phantom Express.
Last year, the horse had a very strong season, winning seven out of twelve starts and finishing in the top three in eleven of them. He won a Margareta race, was second in the E3 final, and finished third in the Swedish Trotting Kriterium after racing without cover, having previously won his elimination for both races.
"Overall, he had a fantastic year and delivered at a high level consistently. But he had a bit of bad luck in the biggest races, having to race without cover in both the E3 final and the Kriterium. It turned into a long season for him, starting in February and going all the way to the Breeders Crown in November. He did fantastically well," says Joakim Elfving.
"Trotted in 1:11 in his seasonal debut without being trained to be sharp"
After a long and solid winter training, Phantom Express made his seasonal debut in an elimination for the King’s Trophy. He finished second in 1:11.9 behind Free Time Jepson, who later won the final.
"He wasn’t trained to be sharp at all going into the King’s Trophy eliminations, and still he trotted 1:11.9 in his seasonal debut. If someone had told me beforehand that we’d go that time, I wouldn’t have believed it. He still had plenty left at the finish, but faced an opponent who just flew past. In the final, he got hung out and had to take back to last. So we just had to forget that race and move on," says Elfving, who then gave the horse a planned racing break of just over two months.
"It was a planned training period after that race, and everything has gone according to plan. I’m satisfied with how things have gone, and now we’ll give him two or three races before the Derby eliminations. It’ll be fun to get him going again, and he feels good right now. The Derby is the main goal this year."
What’s the most significant difference in the horse compared to last year?
"He’s developed physically and feels like a pretty much new horse. He’s got a lot more muscle mass and overall size compared to last year."
"Better prepared than before the seasonal debut – not beaten beforehand"
Now it’s time for a new return to the track, and 10 Phantom Express (V86-7) will start from post ten in Eskilstuna’s Four-year-old test with Ulf Ohlsson in the sulky. Even though he’s not in top form just yet, trainer Elfving doesn’t feel beaten going into the race.
"We knew there would be good horses, and we drew in the second tier. So, he’ll get a covered-up trip, and we’ll see how the race unfolds. I think it’s a perfect way to start from that post now that we’re building him toward top form. We’ll begin with shoes all around and a regular style sulky."
"But with a horse this good, you never feel beaten beforehand. I believe he can be in the mix anyway. It’s hard to compare him to the others who’ve already been racing this season. We’ll see if there’s any pace in the race. In any case, he’s much more trained and better prepared now than before the seasonal debut," says Joakim Elfving.