V86: Stefan has two interesting contenders from his own stable

He is one of the country's busiest drivers, but recently the number of horses in his own stable has also been growing.
Stefan Persson has two good opportunities to win with his own trainees on V86 in Henessi Otan and Kenobi Mearas.
"I'm not really a catch-driver; I'm a trainer, but I just happen to drive a lot of races as well..." he says ahead of Wednesday's trip to Jägersro.

When the first V86 Xpress card of November takes place at Jägersro and Solvalla on Wednesday, it would come as no surprise to see Stefan Persson in the winner's circle.
That in itself is hardly surprising. The Halmstad-based professional is among the country's busiest drivers and currently sits eighth in the Swedish national drivers' standings.
But on Wednesday, two strong contenders come from the stable he runs together with his wife Linda.
The stable has been growing recently. At present, they have a dozen horses in the barn.
"We've always had a few horses in training, but now we've added a few more. This is probably about the maximum number we can handle. We can't really manage any more than this. But the horses are racing well and have done so all year, I think. That's obviously a good feeling, and we enjoy training a few horses. But there's a lot to get done, and we've now reached a level where we can manage it," says Stefan.
The stable's results have been good this year, with a win in every third start and just under SEK 1 million in earnings.
However, Stefan's main focus remains his work as a catch-driver. With two months left in the year, he has already driven more than a thousand races.
Or catch-driver, that is. Is he really one?
"Yes, as I always say, I'm not really a catch-driver; I'm a trainer, but I just happen to drive a lot of races as well..."

Criterium elimination last time – hoping for redemption now
We'll see the first representative from the Persson stable already in the opening leg of V86.
It's a three-year-old who has shown some really fine qualities during his first season on the racetrack. 9 Henessi Otan (V86-1) has won four of his six starts and most recently faced the big stage at Solvalla when competing in an elimination for the Swedish Trotting Criterium. However, things did not go as hoped.
"Henessi Otan delivered his first poor performance last time at Solvalla, unfortunately. He got himself worked up and became very sharp, and I'm pretty sure he almost choked himself. So we took it a little easier with him for a few weeks afterward, but he's now been training well, and everything points to him putting in a normal performance again. I think the horse had been racing really well before last time. He's in good form and is a bit of a talent; he's a nice little horse. We drew a second-tier post, and that's just how it is, but he's done well from behind before, so it doesn't have to be a problem."
Just over an hour later at Jägersro, stablemate 7 Kenobi Mearas (V86-7) will take his turn.
The gelding has an impressive record and seems to be in the photo almost every time. After two straight wins, he has recently finished second twice, most recently narrowly beaten from the lead at Åby.
"He's in good form and has been racing well all year, now that he's been able to race a little more regularly. It almost feels as if his form is improving with every start now. He trained well on Friday, and everything points to him putting in another good performance. He's a good horse for this class and is almost always up there in the mix. We hope he'll be there again, even though he's drawn a little too far out on the gate. At the same time, I find the distance interesting for him, as he hasn't made many starts over 1,640 meters. We'll just have to see what happens when the starting gate pulls away. As I said, he's in good form, and he should be up there if he gets a good trip on Wednesday," says Stefan, adding about the equipment:
"It's possible he'll wear a half-blind bridle now that we're drawn a little farther out on the gate."
In the long distance race, you'll also drive David Persson's 3 Rosso Rubino (V85-5), whom you drove in the Derby final two starts ago. What are your thoughts on this start?
"Of course, I can't comment on his training, but the assignment on Wednesday, with this distance, looks very interesting for him. He got shuffled back a little behind the gate at Åby last time, but he's handled volt start well when I've driven him before. The horse is strong and solid, and it would be very beneficial if we could get to the lead here and then let him keep rolling along at his own pace up front."

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