V75: Enjoying his new home track
Career high numbers last year.
An even higher goal this year.
Kevin Oscarsson is ready when V75 comes to his new home track on Saturday.
"The stable got a boost when we moved here, and the goal is to race as much as possible in V75, so, of course, we have aimed for this race day," says the hometown trainer about this week's card at Axevalla.
Six months have gone by since Kevin Oscarsson made the move from the farm Blädingeås to Axevalla racetrack.
A decision that has already borne fruit.
His results were more than quadrupled from 2023 to 2024.
"I was very pleased with last year. We had a good start to the season in the old stable and a good end in the new one. Altogether, I think we got a huge boost when we moved to Axevalla," says Kevin Oscarsson.
The biggest change might have come on a personal level for the 30-year-old father of two, who suddenly had a big farm to care for when his parents, Susanne and Jim, moved to the United States to open up their stable there once again last winter.
A responsibility he does not have as a tenant at the Axevalla racetrack with its training opportunities.
"That's a huge difference. It was a puzzle to take care of a farm with a racing stable, race the horses, and take care of the training tracks. I would often come home late at night and step right into the tractor. There were many long nights, and it was tough to find time for everything, especially with two little kids at home. I feel more rested now and can put my energy where it's needed. Spend the whole day in the stable, be a part of the training in a different way, and focus on every detail. It has been a big change for me, personally, which I hope will show in the results going forward.
The move has also meant a change to the training setup.
"We had great training opportunities at Blädingeås, too but they were different compared to here. We used to train a lot of heats in the pressure cart on the track. When we came here, I continued doing that, but the result wasn't as good. It's different here, and we had to adjust. We now train mainly on two tracks; a track that measures 1,100 meters with no banked turns, designed for young horses. We train heats there, longer heats than we used to. We also have a very nice sand track."
How do you like training on the sand track?
"I didn't have much experience training in deep sand. The only time I did it was when I worked for Johan Untersteiner. But that track is different from this one. The sand is also a live material that can vary from one day to the next. I think I have learned a lot here in six months, and I keep learning. You can say that the sand has replaced the pressure cart when training them to get strong and I think it's fun and inspiring to train in a new way. It also shows on the horses that they progress and like the new environment," says Kevin Oscarsson.
"Even sharper on Saturday"
Last year, the Oscarsson stable earnings were just below SEK 3 million, a number that Kevin, with 55 horses in training, hopes to beat this year.
"That's the goal, to improve all the numbers. I think we took big steps last year; we raced more in V75 and had horses in the big stake races. That's where I hope we can improve even more, to race more on Saturdays and in the bigger races for both 3- and 4-year-olds. I have nice younger horses and a fantastic staff, the really live for this. So, it looks promising."
This Saturday, Kevin races three horses from his own stable. He also has two interesting drives.
The first horse to race is 1 Urban Africa (V75-1), who might have the smallest chance of winning on paper.
"He does well for the most part but hasn't really reached the level he's capable of. We work on that, but as of now, he's not a horse that wins in V75. We will pull his shoes behind this Saturday; that will make him a bit better, and he is racing for a check."
10 Lejonkungen (V75-4) got his breakthrough in December when he won three in a row.
"He got a big boost from moving up here and showed early that he absorbed the new training in a different way. I wasn't surprised when things came together for him on the track, too. He feels good in training, and the conditions here, with the long distance and volt start, fit him better than his last starts. I think he will get out of there fast and it's up to the driver (Carl Johan Jepson) how he wants to race him. He can do some of the work himself if needed, and I hope he will battle for the win. We will try to race him without front shoes for the first time; he has a big gait, so I think that will work out well for him."
Another horse in good form is 11 Super Frasse (V75-5) who closed brilliantly to finish second last Saturday.
"I was thrilled with him, a big step in the right direction. And I was extra pleased since he hadn't raced in four weeks before that start and had just trained his usual heats in between. It shows that our training setup is at a high level, something I can bring with me into the future. Normally, the horse should be even sharper this Saturday, but I can't demand that out of him. I'm pleased if he can deliver a similar effort again."
"On the other hand, it looks a bit tougher this week, with a worse post position and a shorter distance. Last Saturday, he trotted the last 600 meters out wide and he can do that even longer if needed, but for him to have a chance to win, we need a high pace the first half."
"Few horses can trot that fast"
The first of Kevin's two catch drives is Dick Robertsson's 7 Be my Baby (V75-6) who did not finish last Saturday.
"We can forget that start; everything went wrong. She had a flat tire and was hung out, so I had to take her all the way back to last, and the race was over for her there. She felt good, so her form should be fine."
This time, she starts behind the gate, something that Be My Baby handles better than most. The fact is that she has never missed the lead in nine starts behind the gate. Considering all her wins have come from the lead, and this is her first start in a short distance race, the game plan should be given.
Or, is it?
"She is very fast out of the gate. But now she is up in class and races against faster horses who race without shoes, and I'm sure they are ready for that too so, it's not a given that we will get to the lead. I have to talk to Dick and see how she has trained this week before I start to think about the tactics. Sure, It would be interesting to try her in the lead but it's too early to speculate around that already now."
Last, but not least, Oscarsson also drives Stefan P Pettersson's speedy 2 Joe Dalton (V75-7), who he drove to victory in a lightning fast finish, in his last start.
"He's an awesome horse to drive; few horses can trot as fast as he can in a short sprint. He has his issues, but last time out, he was perfect and felt great. The only thing is that he was a bit too aggressive behind the gate; that's why I had to take it easy in the start. If he could relax better, we might be able to leave faster. If not, I'm happy with a similar, conservative trip. If he's a s good as in his last start, he's fast enough to beat these horses too if the trip works out."
Who would say is your best chance on Saturday?
"As a driver, Joe Dalton, as a trainer Lejonkungen. But don't forget Super Frasse or Be My Baby either," says Kevin Oscarsson.