V75: Baron Tilly gives his trainer the right feeling
A pedigree to live up to.
The blue-blooded Baron Tilly has shown proof of enormous talent. In this Saturday's STL final, the promising horse stands before his biggest challenge so far.
"I still would like to believe that this is an extraordinary horse and hopefully he continues on the right path," says the trainer.
Spring is in the air as Solvalla sets the table for a party with V75 this Saturday.
This is a race day with some extra star power, as it is the second set of STL finals of the year. The hottest horses in the country in the last few weeks gather to raise the temperature further at the capital's racetrack.
A horse with the potential to be a standout horse is 8 Baron Tilly (V75-2).
The 4-year-old is five for eleven so far in his young career and with every start, he has taken big steps in his development. The effort in his most recent start, in the Class 2 leg at Örebro was mighty impressive and you can tell that Baron Tilly is close to trainer David Persson’s heart.
"Yes, it has turned out that way. Without me really knowing why. This horse has something that gives you a certain feeling when you sit behind him. It's hard to pinpoint what it is, but some horses have it and he is one of them. You just feel that there is something extraordinary there and we hope that feeling will continue," says David.
That Baron Tilly is extraordinary might not be so strange, after all.
His pedigree is a delicacy. His maternal grand dam is Icora Tilly. An elite mare who produced four multi-million winning horses, where Victory Tilly is the best one – meaning he is the uncle of Baron Tilly.
All of them were creations of the successful breeder Hans Gunnar Tillander who at age 84 passed away at the end of February this year. The same day that Baron Tilly won his most recent start.
"Baron Tilly has a fantastic pedigree on the maternal side, full of great mares that have produced horses like Victory Tilly. And his sire Ready Cash is maybe the sire you want most of them all. He couldn't look much better on paper and it's impressive".
Focusing on the effort
The effort in his last victory created a ripple effect.
"The Baron" had to spend most of the last kilometer three wide but could still get the job done casually. Was the trainer as impressed as everyone else?
"Yes, it's hard to not be impressed by that effort. He was good and he wasn't all out either, the earplugs were, once again, left in his ears so we can't be anything but pleased with that start. He has trained as usual after that and has felt good, so we have no complaints".
As in every start so far, Carl Johan Jepson will be at the reins again.
The Class 2 final on Saturday will be a tough race and the draw made it even tougher. Baron Tilly drew the outside post behind the gate.
"That's a bummer, of course. It makes things a lot more difficult, and it also makes it harder to believe that he will win the race. But as I have said before, we want him to keep developing and to keep taking these steps, so in that sense, the focus is on his effort and not the result".
The horse has many good features, but leaving is not one of them just yet?
"No, not really, so I guess Carl Johan will just try to find a good spot for him".
But, despite the post position, it is hard to not think that he has a chance to win the race.
"That's true. I have said earlier that I think very highly of this horse and I would lie if I said he can't win the race," says the trainer and adds that there will be no changes on the horse from his last start. Baron Tilly races with four steel shoes and a regular style sulky.
By the way, the King's Trophy eliminations are coming up next month. Interested?
"Exactly. We are interested in that, but again, the focus is on him taking the right steps and always putting the horse first. If it feels right, it would be fun to try him there".