V75 (Thursday): Everything seems to be set for a new win in The Sprint Championship for the super duo
Daniel Redén and Örjan Kihlström have won The Sprint Championship twice in the last four years.
This year they have a great chance of doing it again with Francesco Zet, who is the big favorite to win.
"Francesco Zet raced very well last time out and wasn't tired. He should be even better with that start" says Daniel Redén.
Thursday evening, right after 10 pm, the battle is on at Halmstad racetrack. That is when the fastest four-year-old in the country will be crowned The Sprint Champion and take home the first prize of SEK 1.2 million. The top three finishers in each of the three eliminations, plus the highest seeded horse of the fourth place finishers, will go through to the final. This year's edition sees Francesco Zet as the huge favorite. The king of the crop won The Kriterium and The Breeders Crown last year. He also won The King's Trophy this spring and he is now sporting a seven race long win streak. The four-year-old horse has in 13 starts won 11 times and finished second once. In his last outing he was toying with his opponents in Prix Readly Express at Solvalla.
The three eliminations are all part of the V75 card and Francesco Zet will be the giant favorite together with Örjan Kihlström from post position four in the first leg. Kihlström and Redén won The Sprint Championship with Perfect Spirit in 2018 and with Don Fanucci Zet in 2020. They now have a good chance to win it again and after that, Francesco Zet will take aim at the Swedish Trotting Derby. But first, Sweden's Hambletonian - the speed fest in Halmstad.
Daniel Redén comments on his starters on his own website and he sounds very pleased with two of them:
"5 Francesco Zet (V75-1) raced very well last time out and he wasn't particularly tired after the race. He should be even better with that start. I trained him today and he felt good. When you ask him for some speed in the warm ups, he can hesitate and roll over into a gallop, especially like last time when he hadn't tried out the new shoes before. It's a big change compared to the PG shoes he trains with. So I trained him with the racing shoes on today. He will race with shoes all around, in an American sulky and a blind bridle with a Murphy blind on the inside - no changes".
"I like him - he trains really well"
"4 Narzario (V75-3) was very good in his first start for me. I like him, he is big and tough. I'm sure he has needed all this time to grow into his big body. I'm imagining him being a good horse. There aren't that many races for him, but he trains really well so we will try him here. He will race barefoot all around and in an American sulky again. Maybe he will race with a pull-down bridle this time".
In the mare division, with SEK 800,000 to the winner, Imhatra Am is the favorite over Chebba Mil, who both impressed in their eliminations last week. Daniel Redén starts Presto, who made it through to the final after finishing second in her elimination.
"9 Presto (U.S.) (V75-6) raced okay in her elimination. She got a tough trip, but hung in well. From this post position she can get a nice trip, which suits her better. It feels like she comes out of the starts well. She is not bad, but she needs racing luck to be able to get a nice check here. She will race barefoot and in an American sulky again. She might race in a blind bridle. If not, she will go with a can't-see-back and a Murphy blind like she did last time".