V75®: Hoping to beat the Oktoberfest feeling
Recently back home from the Oktoberfest in Germany, Billy Svedlund is hoping that this weekend will be even more festive.
That's when he races Kocu Boko in the Swedish Trotting League at Skellefteå racetrack.
"The feeling when you win on V75® is unbeatable, the feeling in Munich doesn't even compare" says the Gävle licensed trainer.
Billy Svedlund has just set foot on Swedish soil after a long weekend at Oktoberfest, as he joins the podcast 'V75 - lördag hela veckan'.
"Anybody who hasn't been to the Oktoberfest has to try it. It's a crazy festival, a once in a life time thing" says Svedlund, before the conversation goes from gigantic beer glasses and funfair, to his horse Kocu Boko (V75-2) who was very impressive when he last time out outclassed his opponents and won, far from being tired from the lead.
"Had we had someone on our outside, I think he could have trotted a second faster, the last kilometer. He was not tired, but I can't say how much was left in him, but he felt very, very good and above all, he showed that he is in good form".
"The feeling I got was that he is better than ever right now and that's where he should be at this point, considering the number of starts he has made, both in his career and also this year. I entered him to V75 with some hopes, actually".
"Fun to fire him off for real"
Just like in his last start, the five-year-old stallion starts from post position two behind the gate. Then, he managed to get to the lead and hold out the leavers from the outside posts. The question is if he can do that again, now that the competition is a bit tougher.
"He is not the quickest horse out of the gate and I would have preferred post three or four, but on the other hand I have never really had the chance to fire him out of the gate. Maybe in the start before the Derby elimination last year, but that's over a year ago and he is much more of a horse now, so it will be fun to fire him off for real for the first time this year. I also think that he can leave better now, when I can race him barefoot behind again".
"I might put a can't-see-back bridle on him too, but we will see. He has gotten better with every start he has made this year and now it's the right amount of time between starts and that feels more important than whether he races with a can't-see-back bridle or not".
Billy Svedlund has nine horses in training and to have a horse racing on V75 is huge.
"In my little nine-horse stable, I can't remember last time I had a horse that I trained, racing on V75. But I know the feeling you get if you go all the way, it's unbeatable and the feeling in Munich doesn't even compare".