V75® (dream jackpot): Sunday picks from a man of the sport
An Easter Sunday with an egg hunt for the kids and a V75® card that could make history.
Going into the Sunday dream jackpot at Romme – with at least SEK 100 million to a sole winner with all seven winners picked – we ask a man of the sport to give us his picks.
"It will be a great handle on Sunday and the Easter bank comes in one of the coldblood races," says Hans Åkerman, at the Dalatravet race office.
This year's Spring Race with V75® results in a gigantic jackpot at Romme Racetrack in Borlänge.
Last year, the track missed out on the festivities when a strangles outbreak was discovered at the track, and the races were moved to Solvalla.
This Easter, everything is back to normal, with Romme as the hosting track on Sunday.
An Easter Sunday where the record V75 payout from February 2010 at Axevalla with SEK 67 million is in danger.
According to the calculations from ATG early in the week, there will be at least SEK 100 million in the pool for all seven winners picked Easter Sunday and the expression dream jackpot is being used again.
Hans Åkerman works at the Dalatravet race office. The open class for the coldbloods (V75-4) is the feature of the day, according to Åkerman.
Trainer Gunnar Melander has decided to give the 23-year-old Magnus A Djuse the chance to drive his coldblood star 10 Månlykke A.M.
"Since I come from the horseman's side of the business, it's incredibly exciting with Magnus driving Månlykke for the first time. Magnus can get any horse to go, and now he debuts behind a real top trotter who didn't have one of his better seasons last year. It's a bit exciting to see how he has wintered. My feeling is that he wins this," says Hans Åkerman.
The 10-year-old coldblood king was not among the best coldbloods last year and his greatness was questioned. Is Magnus A Djuse going to be the spark needed or will the horse miss Gunnar Melander in the sulky on Sunday?
Åkerman thinks it is exciting to speculate.
"I would lean against this horse if I was a bettor. It's not a full field so, he should get a decent spot, even though he starts with a 20-meter handicap. A good Easter bank," he says.
Play it safe?
So, SEK 100 million is waiting as an attractive jackpot for V75 Sunday at Romme.
At least.
This year again, there are four V75 cards in four days starting on Maundy Thursday at Gävle, followed by Good Friday at Färjestad, and Holy Saturday at Klosterskogen, Norway.
Any possible jackpots during these V75 cards will be added to the Sunday pool.
"How one should approach and handicap the races at Romme depends on what you are looking for. With a pool like this, the payouts will be high if you have all seven winners compared to a regular V75 card," says Åkerman at Dalatravet.
Hobbyhorse jumping and a full restaurant
V75 starts at its regular time, 16:20 on Sunday. The crew at the racetrack are hoping for some nice weather.
"It might snow this week, but if you look at the weekend forecast, it looks like it could be up toward ten degrees Celsius. I think it will be a nice day at Romme. We go all in for the kids, with an egg hunt, candy rain, face painting, hobbyhorse jumping, and so on. The restaurant is fully booked and the other spots at the track seem to be filling up too.
So, this feels like the best day we have had in a long time," he says.
Åkerman buys that most talk in the media is about the huge jackpot at Romme's biggest day of the year.
"If you can figure out the winners on Sunday, you might get rich. The Romme track is special with our long home stretch and a mix of horses coming from both the north and the south side of the country. The track crew always presents a great surface so, the conditions should be perfect," he says.
Åkerman's alternative singled horse: 5 Icon Mearas (V75-7)
Comment: "In my world, it would take a lot for Jörgen Westholm to lose the bronze division with Icon Mearas. Redén's 12 In Love Mearas might be the best horse but he drew poorly. If you look at the races from Solvalla last Saturday, and the fast winning times, it tells us that it starts to get trickier winning from behind now. It will be interesting to hear what Westholm says about his top trotter closer to the race".
Åkerman about the home team's best chances.
Comment: "The horsemen here in Dalarna have had a good winter and some horses are coming into Sunday looking very good on paper. 2 Spader (V75-1) has raced great this year with four wins and a second place in five starts. Hans R Strömberg's horse is very interesting even if this a tough field. Good post position, and Magus Djuse in the sulky. Spader is in against Ulf Stenströmer's 5 Great Time Trot and Björn Goop's 6 Joint Chief who will attract a lot of interest, but I wouldn't leave this horse off my ticket. Emma-Sara Sjöberg's 8 Red Hot Roadster is racing fantastically and should be considered in the silver division (V75-3) as a home team hopeful against horses like 11 Ready Tonight who drew poorly".
Åkerman about the coldblood race (V75-2) open for horses with earnings of SEK 625,000 lifetime.
Comment: "15 horses and many bettors will play with many horses in this race. I think that 9 Svarte Petter is a good horse to build around together with 12 Grude Trygve. Two horses that, on paper, look like they are a head above the rest. Maybe a good opportunity to go short with just those two on the ticket?"