V75® (Boxing Day): Preben's Idol peaked and ready
A nice end to a disappointing season?
Bottnas Idol could be the horse that kicks off the STL finals at Solvalla on Boxing Day.
"It feels like he is back in top form again," says Preben Sövik.
A strong winter specialist who always races with shoes and is back in top form again.
Bottnas Idol has a lot going for himself going into the traditional STL finals at Solvalla on Boxing Day.
The horse is coming off a magnificent effort. He completely missed the start and sat last in the field, while the first kilometer went as slow as 1:16.
Despite that, Bottnas Idol managed to rally past the entire field, except for the winner Dea Sprint Bar.
"He was very good in 2,100 meters, but not as good the first 40 meters. He was more mischievous than usual and acted a bit odd, both in the recalled start and the start that went off. I felt that he for some reason wouldn't cooperate. We went to France and started in their volt start system and maybe he thought he was still there," says Sövik, who as mentioned, raced Bottnas Idol at Vincennes, in Paris, without having any luck.
An adventure that was prolonged since the races got canceled due to inclement weather and were rescheduled for four days later.
"He stayed down there and everything went well. The race didn't work out as we had hoped, though. The race favorite Cobra Killer Gar was controlling the race first up and I didn't want to make a move uphill and risk my horse getting tired, so we stayed in the back and it was a fast finish to the race. But it was a good experience".
Do you have another trip to France planned?
"Yes, we will give it another try, but not until March or April. Now that they have increased the purses and the winner of the Silver division gets SEK 150,000 next year, it's not that big a difference compared to the purses in France. We will race in the next V75® meet and he has a nice race at Jägersro in January to start with," says Sövik whose horse has shown that he likes this time of the year when he crushed his opponents in both the leg and the final of Class 1 in 2022/2023 and also last winter, when he raced well, finishing second and third in the Silver division.
He then disappeared from the races for almost six months.
"He had a quarter crack that took all spring and half of the summer to heal. It ruined the season we had planned, but we will try to make up for it this winter, instead. Now is also when he has the best chance to do well when everyone has to race with shoes, as he always does".
"This is a final, we have to be aggressive"
"Bottnas Idol showed at Åby that he came out of the trip to France in the best possible way, at least physically. After the missed start, he came up with an effort that should make him a hot winning candidate in the final of the Silver division on Boxing Day. An even better effort, when you watch the replay.
"Yes, I asked him to keep going for another 400 meters after the finish line and he felt very strong. That's when I felt he was back in top form".
Do you think you would have won the race with a more aggressive drive?
"I can't say that, since Magnus' (Djuse) horse was far from empty. But the way my horse felt after the finish line, I'm pretty sure we would have won, had the race been another 500 meters".
Do you mean that he felt extra strong?
"No, he has always been strong. But when he's in top form, he has more speed in his legs, a higher top speed. He is better over longer distances, but the way he is now, he can trot at high speed for 2,100 meters".
What do you think about starting from post position one behind the gate?
"I would rather have a different post position since he is not quick enough to hold up the lead. There's a risk of us sitting third, or fourth at the pylons, but we will try to get out as soon as possible".
Is there anything you can do to make him leave faster?
"No, I don't think so. He always races with a can't-see-back bridle and if I were to put a blind bridle on him, I'm afraid he would get too hot. He will keep racing the way he has, for now, no changes for Thursday".
How has he trained after his last start?
"He feels great, he trained last Tuesday and looked brilliant. You can tell that the horse has improved with these last starts. He has raced from behind in three starts now and just closed, as opposed to always making an early move to sit first up".
An early move to sit first up, is that a possible scenario for this start?
"Absolutely. If we can find a way to get out and make a move, I will do so. This is a final so, we have to be more aggressive. It might sound bad, but I'm never afraid of giving him a tough trip, since he has shown that he can handle it, and even likes it. Especially now that he has raced from behind a few times".
Which type of track condition is best for Bottnas Idol?
"It doesn't matter. He has raced well on all types of surfaces, if the track is sloppy, it could be an advantage, compared to many others"
Do you think he can win this final going first up?
"It depends entirely on how good Mellby Knekt is. I assume he will take the lead and he has been great this fall and has really impressed me. But he is used to racing barefoot, which he can't now, while my horse always races with shoes. That's a plus for us, of course".