V75/double jackpot: Activated is back

Last winter the top trotting mare Activated got sick.
After an eight-month-long layoff, she was back on the racetrack last weekend and won on V75 after a smoking finsh.
On Saturday she comes out in the mares elite at Jägersro and trainer Fredrik Wallin sounds positive.
- "She has always liked racing back to back weeks and she showed that she still likes to race".

Gävle licensed trainer Fredrik Wallin's six-year-old mare Activatedhadn't raced for eight months when she won on V75 at Bergsåker last Saturday after a great finishing rally. In the first start of the year for Activated, the driver Magnus A Djuse even had time to raise his hand in the air before crossing the finish line, despite the fact that it didn't look all that good during the race.

Activated started with a 20 meter handicap in a leg of Diamantstoet, also named Lars Lindberg Memorial, where she sat eighth down the backside. After a rock solid finish, where she was both three and four-wide in the last turn, she got up in time to win in 1:12.4/2,160 meters.

It was a great effort by Activated in her return after having been sick with a bacteria infection.

"It was a big relief to see her that good again. She had trained for some time and the plan was to make a start at the end of the summer. To race her back to back weeks off the layoff was also in the plan early. She has always liked racing back to back weeks and she is usually good with that type of schedule so we have to be optimistic going into the Saturday race" says Fredrik Wallin.

 

Got sick after her trip to France

Activated is the multi stakes winning mare who came out on the winning end in both Stochampionatet and The Queen's Trophy as a four-year-old. She was crowned Mare Of The Year in Sweden in 2019. 

As a five-year-old, she won two races and at the end of last year, she was shipped down to France for a couple of starts against the European trotting elite.

She finished outside the money in both Prix de Bourbonnais and Prix Tenor de Baune.

"She wasn't herself when we brought her back home and of course it had us worried when we couldn't find what was bothering her. It turned out she had contracted some kind of bacteria in France which really took a toll on her. Once the treatment started working she was back to the good old Activated we know again" the trainer says.

 

Trainer optimistic again

If Wallin wasn't sure of his mare's form before her return, he is now cautiously optimistic going into the start in Malmö this Saturday.

There's a double jackpot in play on Saturday. According to ATG's calculations, a sole winner on V75 could be SEK 54 million richer. 

Activated is with her earnings of SEK 6 million, given on the ticket in the mare's elite (V75-7). The race doesn't have a natural favorite. But 1 Miracle Tile from Norway won the European Championship for mares in her last start and she might just be the favorite. 5 Hevin Boko, 7 Wild Love, 8 Racing Brodda are also hot win candidates in this race, together with the mare from Gävle.

"I think she is one of three, four mares who all have a chance to win here. If she just gets a decent start she will do well. But as usual, there are a lot of little things that have to go right. She needs to leave well and sit somewhat near the front for example" says Wallin.

Activated is known to be a very strong closer, but she has also won when doing the hard work herself. Now you want her to leave better to get a good position?

"She can be quick out of the gate. But when she and Calle (Carl Johan Jepson) have tried to leave, there's always been some issue. So it will be interesting to see. I think she has shown that she is good enough against these mares. She will race the same way she did last Saturday, barefoot all around, in a regular sulky and with a pull-down bridle".

What do you have planned for her later this fall?

"Well...the Swedish Championship for mares (October 9) is a race we want to be in".

In Diamantstoet (V75-6) you have 14 Ies Juvel. Driver Erik Adielsson has to figure it out from the second tier in volt start, with a 20 meter handicap on top of it. What are her chances?

"It's a terrible post position to have. It's usually very hard to get in the race from these spots and she needs luck and a perfect trip with good cover. But she is in good form. She raced very well in her last start. It was an easier field but she left a good mare (Iceland Falls) behind" says Fredrik Wallin.

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