V75®: Hometown trainer/driver Oskar Kylin Blom in focus
Last year was his best year so far when it comes to both wins and earnings.
Oskar Kylin Blom also won both the training and driving title at his home track Gävle.
On Saturday he is in the spotlight with three interesting V75 drives.
"None of them will be the favorite and maybe Morotai Degato is my best chance" says Kylin Blom.
This Saturday's V75 is being raced at Gävle where the home town trainer Oskar Kylin Blom has taken big steps the last couple of years. His results have gotten better and better and last year was his best year so far in wins as well as in earnings both as a trainer and driver. The stable had 66 wins and SEK 5.9 million in earnings, which by far broke his previous record. Kylin Blom also won both the training and driving title at his home track. It all came down to the very last race day before it was all said and done.
"It was actually a lot of fun to be able to win those titles. It was my goal during the year and it was the first time in 41 years that a Gävle-licensed trainer managed to do so. I like racing at home in Gävle but the competition is tough with many of the best drivers coming here to race every night. Ulf Ohlsson and Mats E Djuse drive here on a regular basis and Jörgen Westholm and Daniel Redén race a lot of horses here. The competition is tough and I'm happy I could pull it off" says Oskar Kylin Blom.
Moving to his own farm in April
The 29 year old Kylin Blom has been a professional trainer since January 1, 2018 and he currently trains 74 horses. This spring, new challenges await when Oskar Kylin Blom moves his stable from Hedesunda to the new farm Gundbo in Östervåla, just north of Uppsala. He is waiting for a building permit on the farm he purchased for SEK 9.5 million.
"We are moving in April and it will be super exciting. I have mixed emotions since I really like it here at the farm we are at now and I know every corner of it. But I am getting my own place, instead of renting like I do now. We will have the same amount of stalls as we have now and the training concept will be the same. But you always strive to develop and get better and now I'm getting the chance to shape the new farm after my own head" says Kylin Blom.
Brothers facing each other - in a double sense
But before that, V75 at his hometrack awaits on Saturday and Oskar has three drives, two of which he trains himself. One of them is Bäcklös Faron in the coldblood race who runs into his brother Bäcklös Uriel – driven by Oskar's brother Wiktor Kylin-Blom. The former three-year-old stars have raced sporadically the last year and now face each other for the second consecutive start. Bäcklös Faron finshed second in the 2020 Swedish Kriterium for coldbloods behind Brenne Bas, he was then injured in a branch of the suspensory and missed most of his four-year-old season. His brother Bäcklös Uriel won the Kriterium in 2019 and he has also been away from racing a couple of times, his latest hiatus lasted a year due to an injury. He returned in the same race as Bäcklös Faron last was in and the latter won, after having finished second twice in a row.
"7 Bäcklös Faron (V75-2) won his last start after having raced well for two starts prior to that and I was very happy with him. He is a very capable horse but you have to remember that he doesn't have the same experience and toughness as some of the horses he is now in against. I'm not demanding that he would come out and win and I won't be disappointed if he finishes fourth. We also have a bad post position far out on the gate with several quick leavers inside of us. With his talent you can't count him out though" says Oskar.
"Likes racing with shoes and corks in the winter"
In the last V75 leg, the Gävle trainer sends out Morotai Degato who has been very good since joining the Oskar Kylin Blom stable and he has piled up great efforts and wins on V75. He is now in the silver division but was scratched when he was last supposed to have raced at Romme.
"6 Morotai Degato (V75-7) felt very good in his last start but hurt himself here at home and had to be scratched at Romme. He missed some training but I don't think that will affect him on Saturday. He has trained well after that and he feels great so I expect a good effort. He can leave well but so can many of the horses to our inside and it could be a very fast pace out of the gate. My dream scenario would be finding a spot somewhere second or third over. He likes racing with shoes and corks in the winter and he is used to racing in the silver divison. I have high hopes for him and he should be my best chance on V75".
You also drive Double Formula in V75-1, who you drove two starts ago. Your thoughts on him?
"6 Double Formula (V75-1) felt very good when I drove him at Bergsåker and got locked in with plenty left in the tank. He then won his next start at Solvalla and he is clearly in top form. It looks interesting here with post six in volt start and he can leave OK, but not super fast. I'm aiming for the lead and I think it looks interesting. He is one of the horses who can win the race" says Oskar Kylin Blom.