V75®: Emil and Hulte Annika are back after their last super upset
Last time out the connections were all smiles after their huge upset win.
Emil Eriksson and Hulte Annika are back this Saturday when V75 comes to their home track Hagmyren. Could they win again?
"You never give up until the battle is over" says Emil.
There was a big payout when V75 was raced at Årjäng on July 15, despite the huge favorite San Moteur winning.
One of the main reasons that only a few tickets survived was Hulte Annika and Emil Eriksson. They won at 63 to 1 and were only on one percent of all the V75 tickets.
The joy of winning was unmistakable, though. The 27-year-old driver Emil Eriksson celebrated as he passed the finish line after having won his first V75 race – a huge surprise for most bettors.
"Yes, it was awesome. It really was. Hard to believe it really happened. There was such a commotion after the race and it's hard to put into words. I'm in the history books after that sort of win, The Erik Persson Memorial is a race with a lot of tradition. It was huge for me" says Emil.
But was it just as surprising for you as it was for the bettors?
"Well, I knew that I sat behind a mare that is very good and also in very good form. She had raced against many of them before, done well, and even beaten some of them. I knew that she would be good and maybe the bettors forgot her if you look at her previous starts. I also gave her a nice trip on purpose in the start prior to that at Dannero. But we just wanted to give her a start before this race at Årjäng. She felt very good and I brought that positive feeling with me and felt that I had a realistic chance of winning. So, it wasn't that much of a shock for me, as you could think by looking at her odds".
Led to a nice friendship
Emil Eriksson might not be that well-known to the big public, but he has worked with trotters for most of his life. Even if he did not come from a family of horsemen.
"I come from a family who hasn't really been involved with horses, at least not my parents. But I loved them and started at a riding school. I felt that it wasn't really for me, but then I saw they had a trotting school at Hagmyren racetrack, so I started there. When I was 12, I got some workplace training at the Thomas Lönn stable and I spent every weekend and school break there until I started high school at Wången".
After that, he moved to Axevalla and Skara to work for Anna Forssell.
"Yes, I started working for Anna Forssell, but I got homesick and was offered a job by Thomas Lönn. I worked there for two years, then I spent three years working for Jan-Olov Persson, and now I help a few trainers out, mostly Jan Ove Olsen. I shoe a lot of horses and being a blacksmith is my main occupation".
You also work closely together with Leif Jonsson, the trainer of Hulte Annika?
"Yes, absolutely. Leif got sick last year and needed help. We got along well, me, Leif, and Annika and when he wasn't able to do everything himself, I helped him train. Now he does most of it himself and he does it excellently. It has turned into a nice friendship and it's very inspiring; I have always looked up to people like Leif, I have seen his horses since I started going to the racetrack. Everything else is a bonus, being able to win races, and especially a big race like the one we won last time".
If we can just find a good spot...
After the big upset win at Årjäng, the team takes aim at V75 with 2 Hulte Annika (V75-4) again. This time it's Erik Graléns Minne - at the home track Hagmyren.
"That's where we ended up. We had a couple of other alternatives, but the long distances made us choose this race".
So, do you think the long distance is an advantage for her?
"Yes and no. She benefits from the race going a bit slower, not because she can't trot fast, but the other races we chose from were all handicaps so she would have started from bad posts there".
How do you like her chances on Saturday?
"It feels like whoever gets the best trip will probably be the winner. The horses on the starting distance are all very even and Jan-Olov Persson's horses starting twenty meters behind us are all good, I have respect for them and they come off good efforts. I won't be very aggressive with her this time, but I would like to sit behind Ulf Ohlsson (Trö Kasper editor's note) who I think would love to race in the lead. It feels like a good one to follow. If we can just find a good spot down the backside, I think we will end up on the photo and you never give up until the battle is over. But we need some luck and if we could finish fourth, or fifth I am very happy".
You drew post position two in volt start. But that is no problem for Hulte Annika?
"She is uncomplicated no matter which post she starts from. I would say it's an advantage compared to having post one. She is easy to turn and always steps out of there well".
But you will not be a 63 to 1 shot this time?
"This is a tougher race and that's up to the bettors, but there's a risk that the odds won't be quite that high this time. Her last effort is fresh in memory and I think it was an eyebrow-raising effort for many. At the same time., I want to lay a bit low, I think this is a tougher race for her" says Emil.