V75® (jackpot): Önas Prince ready for new adventures
The Elitlopp adventure ended with a fourth-place finish.
Önas Prince has now recharged his batteries.
The journey toward new Group 1 races starts this Saturday in Halmstad – and might end in New York this fall.
There is a lot of focus at Halmstad Racetrack this week.
On Thursday, the classical speed fest the Sprint Championship will be raced, and on Saturday, the same track offers a crammed STL card with a V75® jackpot. A possible sole winner is calculated to take home SEK 48 million.
Many V75 tickets will include 8 Önas Prince (V75-6) who comes out in the gold division. This is the horse's first start since Elitloppet. Per Nordtröm's quick-footed six-year-old was amongst the favorites going into the race and after a third-place finish in the elimination, he finished fourth in the final.
"The horse was in good form, but he was a bit sore. It was over a year ago we had been to the veterinarian with him, so we had to check him up after Elitloppet, he was sore in his knees and he had to get treated for that" says the trainer Per Nordström.
What has Önas Prince done after Elitloppet?
"He has trained some solid intervals and we have also trained him in the pressure cart. He hasn't gotten any faster heats, so we really want him to get a good race in his legs this time".
Will get a good tightener
We know what awaits the eleven-time millionaire after the Saturday start. Önas Prince was one of the first horses to get invited to the home track Jägersro's big sprint battle Hugo Åbergs Memorial, on July 25. The horse finished third last year, but the trainer hopes for an even better result this year, of course.
The start this Saturday is, therefore, an important stepping stone going forward. But unfortunately, they drew post position eight behind the gate.
"The post position is of course a bit trickier this time, but we said that we'd rather take a bad post this time than next time in Hugo Åbergs...it is of course tougher to win from that post position but he usually solves these problems and as always I think I have a good chance to win when I sit behind this horse. I also have a lot of respect for horses like Hell Bent For Am, Ultion Face, and Aetos Kronos in their brightest moments, so there is no lack of opponents".
Despite the number saying eight, there is no doubt about the tactics, right?
"I don't commit to any certain type of tactics, we will see when the gates open up, but I am very happy with my horse like I said, he feels very good and he will get a really good tightener here. We will not sit at the rear of the field and snooze. We want to give him a start, it's 17 days before the Hugo Åbergs and it sits perfectly in the calendar".
We note that your horse is entered with a regular style sulky this time. Why is that?
"Well, I have bought new sulkies, from Grafströms. They have the American style, but they are still approved as regular sulkies. I won Lyon Grand Prix with Kentucky River in that sulky, but then they called me afterward and said that it counts as a regular style sulky. It's the same sulky that Önas Prince won Copenhagen Cup in".
Could be a trip across the Atlantic ocean
After Hugo Åbergs, an even bigger escapade could await Önas Prince and the connections.
He is a possible candidate to represent Sweden in the International Trot at Yonkers Raceway, in New York, on September 9. The first prize there is $500,000.
"Yes, Klaus Koch, who is the European promotor, has been chasing me to accept, then it is up to Yonkers Raceway to hand out the invitations. I'm waiting for one of those. So if all is well with the horse, we could be going there" says Per and adds:
"We want to come with a horse who is sound and healthy and he hasn't made that many starts, you never know where you have him next year so it could be fun to give it a try. In that case, we hope for a good post, I think the half-mile track will suit him well, so he should have a chance to win there, it will be exciting if we go".