V75®: Jackpot with a new bridle
The highlight of the year at the hometown track.
That makes Oscar Berglund bring out the bridle he has saved for over a year.
"My horse raced with it once and he was fantastic that time. After that, we have been waiting for the right time. That time is now," says Oscar Berglund about Jackpot.
He is among the absolute elite tier of trainers when it comes to sending out winners.
Despite that, Oscar Berglund has changed his concept of training horses.
Statistically, it means a boost after two years with lesser results.
"Lesser results" for Oscar Berglund means that the stable has "only" won every fifth start in the last two years.
A look back at the last decade reveals only one trainer with a higher winning percentage.
Trainers with the highest winning percentage in Sweden since 2015 (a minimum of 500 starts):
Timo Nurmos 27
Oscar Berglund 26
Daniel Redén 26
Alessandro Gocciadoro 25
Daniel Wäjersten 25
Not a bad list to be on, together with four of the biggest and most successful trainers in Europe.
But a winning percentage of 20 in 2022-2023 is low in Berglund's world.
It was also one of the reasons that Oscar last year decided to change the way he trains.
The famous downhill track was closed and replaced by a much deeper and heavier sand track.
"I had the new track ready ten months ago, but we haven't been able to train on it the way we want, the entire time. There were a couple of months last winter with bad weather and the horses didn't race well then either. Then it thawed out. But the last few months have been good, and we are getting comfortable with the new concept," says Oscar Berglund.
How do you train now, compared to before?
"There's a big difference. We go the same distance, but 15 to 20 seconds slower. We have lowered the speed but increased the workload. Most of all, it's easier on the horses. Speed kills," says Oscar Berglund.
"Is only using around 60 percent of his capacity"
A horse who has not shown any improvement from the new training is the 5-year-old Jackpot. He finished first or second in his first eight career starts.
His ninth career start was in the STL final at last year's Elitlopp weekend.
In the STL final, the toughest task the horse had faced so far, the trainer chose to equip the horse with blinkers.
It "only" resulted in a fourth place, but after a heroic effort where he was hung out three-wide for the 750 meters before he made it outside the leader. The tempo was incredibly high, 1:09 the first kilometer. Jackpot had beaten the leader and took over the lead down the backside, but had to see three horses with better trips pass him down the stretch. The time he trotted, 1:11.6/2,140 meters is by far the fastest time he has trotted in his career.
"He was so sharp that day, almost too sharp. He was fantastic and trotted a bit faster than he should have. That's why I haven't wanted to put the blinkers back on him again".
The setback came in his next start, at this particular weekend at Östersund a year ago when Jackpot was beaten and stopped early.
It took four months for him to return to the races, but after that, the horse has only won one out of six starts, despite being the betting favorite in most starts.
"Unfortunately, I have to be honest and realize that the horse hasn't reached the same level after that start last year when he suffered what we call Afib (Atrial Fibrillation). That doesn't bother him anymore, he has been checked up several times and is sound and healthy. In training, he feels great and his heart rate is as low as when he was at his best. But after a race, he's not even tired when he comes off the track. He's only using around 60 percent of his capacity. It's such a shame, knowing what a good horse he is".
What will you do to make him try harder again?
"That is the big question. We have worked hard on that every day, so we will see on Saturday if we're on the right path".
Are you making any changes on him for this start?
"Yes, the bridle. The blinkers are back. It's a short-distance race at our home track, so it feels like it's time to try it again. I hope that will make him focus more on racing than earlier this year".
And if it does, he would have a chance to win?
"Of course, he is good enough to win in this class, he has proved that. But we have a bad post position and from there I'd like to see him get a nice trip. There will be other races and the most important thing to me this time is that the horse finishes strong. If you use him on the V75 ticket you should know that he will get a nice trip".
"Sharper this time"
Berglund's second V75 starter is Cleveland Broline who had a four-start winning streak before the Elitlopp weekend, where he had to settle for fifth place, which was best of the horse who did not trot at the pylons behind the superior winner Fine Matters.
"I was very pleased with my horse. He ran into a monster in his class and he got a wide trip. The effort was better than the result and he lowered his lifetime best by three seconds. He had only trotted 1:16-1:17 up here in the north before. We ran into someone better, but I was very pleased with my horse".
Fine Matters is the same race again and he should be the huge betting favorite in V75-1.
"We have no chance against him, nobody will beat him for quite some time. But I think my horse will be sharper this time. He was off for a month before his last start and normally he is better when racing more continuously".
Are you making any changes now that it is V75 at home?
"No, we had done all we could to optimize him at Solvalla; barefoot and an American sulky. It worked out perfectly, so he will race the same way again".
You call him chanceless, but if the bettors don't want to single the favorite, should your horse go on the ticket?
"Yes, I think so. Someone will also finish second, third, and fourth and we should be right there. I have a good horse for his class and should Mattias' (Djuse) horse not get into the race somehow, then my horse is not chanceless".
Footnote: After publishing, Fine Matter has been scratched out of V75-1.