V75/jackpot: "Best year ever" - red hot chances for Goop
Björn Goop has 150 horses in training and 2020 has begun brilliantly for for the entire stable.
"If you look at the depth this is our best year ever" says Björn himself.
Björn has a whole bunch of horses racing on V75 at Årjäng this Saturday, but according to him the best chance is a horse he doesn't drive himself.
Björn Goop has around 150 horses in training and the stable has so far this year earned SEK 13.7 million and taken 90 wins in 519 starts. That makes a win percent of 17.3.
It's right now a head to head battle against Daniel Redén's stable for who will be the leading trainer in Sweden.
Several horses have contributed to the success which makes Björn extra happy:
"We have a good team on the farm, good help, skilled people at every position. If you look at the depth of the stable, this is our best year ever and I still feel very motivated myself" says Björn.
Even if 2020 has gotten the spring and summer racing experiences ruined as far as the spectators go due to the Corona virus, Björn believes it's been handled well considering the circumstances.
"During these hard times I think everyone in the business has done the best out of the situation. Everything has been handled professionally, the right decisions have been made and the communication has worked well".
"The bettors have gotten better"
Björn is hoping the success will continue on Saturday at Årjäng racetrack who will host V75 with the featured race Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp.
It's the fifth consecutive V75 jackpot card mostly due to many favorites winning, causing the payouts for five winners picked to be canceled, during many of the V75 cards this so far this summer.
"I think the bettors have gotten better. And it might be easier to analyze some races during the summer, the races go fast and you can tell the horses in the rear end of the fields will have a hard time. I don't think there's any reason to complain about the conditions of the races".
"Karamell Hill is our best chance"
As usual the Goop stable has some good chances on V75. Already in the first leg Björn will drive a horse he won with last time he drove him, at Örebro three starts ago. This will be his first start in Goop's training.
"5 T.Rex Face (V75-1) has been with us for a few weeks and he feels good. He has a tricky post position here since it's volt start, but I think he can handle it and I hope he will race well".
In the second leg, Diamantstoet, the Goop stable has three mares in the race and they have high hopes of making it to the winner circle.
"Karamell Hill has the best chance even though she's handicapped 20 meters behind the horses she has raced with before. 'Calle' Jepson won with her last time out so he will get the drive again. Karamell Hill feels like she is our best chance on the entire V75 card. She's more consistent than my drive, 12 Zarina Bi. 9 Zosima Mag is in a bit over her head this time".
"Minor changes on Fort Knox now"
"7 Fort Knox (V75-3) has been tricky, but we have made some minor changes now. He feels good in training at least. I hope the long distance, three kilometers, is an advantage for him".
"2 Pine Muscle (V75-5) didn't get things to work out in his return. But I'm happy with him and the plan is to race him barefoot all around this time. I'm happy if he races well here".
In this week's 'V75 Expert Picks', Björn Goop's assistant trainer Anton Sverre singled both Karamell Hill and Zap di Girifalco, who in his last start won on V75 in Kalmar in 1:11.6.
"4 Zap di Girifalco (V75-6) has been fantastic and he had lots of bad luck two starts ago at Axevalla. Everything is well with him and he could win this".
"Should have set a higher pace - that's on me"
Björn is also pleased with his top mare Mellby Free in Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp, V75-7, who has three straight second places and this time she will take on the older Swedish elite.
"She feels good, but I should have set a higher pace that what I did, in her last start at Rättvik. That's on me. She's a bit of a long shot here since she's in against a couple of good horses who raced in Elitloppet".
Suspended - will miss the Stochampionat weekend
After Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp and the V75 races this Saturday, Björn will have a weekend off from racing during Axevalla's big weekend with Stochampionatet.
Björn won two V75 races at Halmstad last Saturday, one of them was with Jörgen Westholm trained Hossiana Boko. But in that race he got suspended three days for whipping, which will take place during the Axevalla weekend.
"I don't think that my whipping was too harsh. But the judges make the call and I have to deal with it. But it's unfortunate of course".