V75® (jackpot): Jimmy has faith in his horses
Jimmy H Andersson is chasing his first V75 victory.
It might come this Saturday. His two drives both know where the finish line is.
"They both love to win and I have hope and faith in them" says the Bollnäs trainer.
V75 this Saturday is being raced at Bergsåker and this week it comes with a jackpot where a sole winner can take home SEK 43 million. Starting December 1, all horses must race with shoes on and that could mean trouble for both horses and bettors.
Shoes or not is nothing that Jimmy H Andersson has to waste too much time worrying about. He has two horses on the V75 card and both always race with shoes.
"For my horses, it's just positive and I see it as an advantage for us and I hope we can benefit from it" says Jimmy H Andersson.
Took a break from the horses
Jimmy H Andersson has a solid background in the harness racing business. He worked for Svante Båth for many years and took care of two Derby winners, Poochai in 2014 and Conlight Ås in 2015.
"Winning two years in a row was huge and I won't forget that anytime soon. I actually have a Conlight Ås yearling in training who seems really nice and he is out of a Good As Gold mare who won the Derby in 1995 so he has a real Derby pedigree.
Jimmy got back issues and had to get out of the business in 2019.
"You spend a lot of time sitting in the sulky and other carts and my back simply had enough and it hurt so much that I decided to try doing something else. I started working at a warehouse and used many muscles that I usually don't".
The horse cravings never went away and after some convincing, he opened up his stable again, almost two years ago now.
"Harness racing is a lifestyle in a way and it's wonderful working with horses. Working with something else is nothing I regret, it was good for me. I have good people around me and it felt right to try again".
A year ago he and his girlfriend Vilde Einungsbrekke bought their own farm just outside Bollnäs.
"I think we have gotten things up and running pretty well. It takes a while before you get your routines set with training and everything. My horses have raced very well lately and we are definitely on the right path".
Hoping for his first V75 victory
The stable is chasing its first victory on V75 and the dream can become reality on Saturday.
"I have two good horses and they both have the right attitude and they love to win. It's always tough on V75, but I have high hopes for both".
"8 In Love Mearas (V75-3) is a four-year-old who has won five out of his six starts. He's a good horse with several good qualities. He is strong, fast and also very cool and he wants to win. He feels good in training and before his most recent start, he hadn't raced for a month, and racing back a little tighter now is just an advantage. He hasn't tried the long distance before, but that shouldn't be a problem since he's a strong horse. If If the trip works out, I hope and think that I have a horse who has a chance to win".
"5 Fortune Mearas (V75-7) has had a lot of problems with injuries which is why he hasn't been able to race very frequently. I think he stays sounder now and I have been able to train him a bit tougher, to which he has responded well. He also gets to race back a little tighter now and it should be an advantage for him too. He can leave fast and the post position is OK, even if I would have liked being a bit closer to the inside. Fortune Mearas has only made 37 lifetime starts and won in ten of them. He is a good horse and I was happy with him when he won his last start and he is also a horse who likes to win".