V75®: Reunites with the catapult closer
On Saturday, Marc Elias reunites with Ferrari Sisu.
Together they are the favorites in the V75 feature - Bergsåker Winter Trot with SEK 500,000 to the winner.
"It looks like a good chance to win" says the newly graduated trainer.
Marc Elias has driven Ferrari Sisu many times. But that was when he worked at Jägersro for his father Conrad Lugauer who trains the horse. When he now takes a seat behind Ferrari Sisu, it will be for the first time as a professional trainer himself.
"I have a small stable, so far. I have six horses in training plus we have one that my girlfriend Line trains. We are stabled at Axevalla racetrack. I like having my horses turned out 24/7 and it's important that they have big fields. We do here and that was one of the reasons that we chose Axevalla. We also have great tracks to train on and everything you need to train horses" says Marc Elias.
So far, the only horse to represent the Elias stable on the racetracks is Remus Eck. The six-year-old has won one out of his three starts so far this year.
"It has been a pretty slow start but I want my horses to be ready to win when they start racing. If I race a horse that gets a good trip and that can't even be top three, then I am disappointed and not happy with my job. But the road there is not straight ahead. You need experience and you have to learn from your own mistakes. Hopefully, you will get it right after that and can race some nice horses".
What is your vision for your stable in the future?
"Of course, I hope to find a system that works and to have horses racing on V75 and in the bigger races. But I don’t want a big stable with 100 horses, somewhere around 50-70 would be a good number. I have worked for Goop and for my dad and they both have over 100 horses, and I think it will be hard to manage such a big stable in the future. I also don't think it's an advantage for the racing business with such big stables. It's better for the sport if the stables aren't that big".
"Should be the favorite"
We don't let the phone interview with Marc Elias get any deeper into the politics so we shift focus to this weekend and V75 at Bergsåker instead. Ferrari Sisu makes the 1,000-kilometer-long trip from Blentarp to race in the gold division, Bergsåker Winter Trot, and Marc Elias makes the trip to Sundsvall just to drive the catapult closer.
"Dad is suspended so then I get to drive, but it's not like we don't know each other, me and the horse" Marc says laughing.
The last time he drove the top trotter was in September but before that, he was the regular driver on Ferrari Sisu, who after three straight wins made a break as he was just gearing up for the homestretch in Prix du Luxembourg in Paris, last time out.
"He lost a front shoe. He races with pads under his front shoes, so it's quite a bit of weight, but if he made a break because the shoe came off or if he stepped on it when he was running, we don't know. He has made breaks in the last turns before so you have to be prepared for what might happen and watch out".
What is his status after that start?
"He came out of that France trip well and has trained well at home".
Have you looked at the race at Bergsåker at all yet?
"I have looked at it a bit and it looks like a good chance to win. There is no horse in the race that I would call impossible to beat. It feels like a pretty even race and the horse with the best trip will probably end up the winner".
Where do you think you will end up from post position six behind the gate?
"He doesn't leave particularly fast so just like when he last raced at Bergsåker, he will probably sit at the back of the field, so he needs the right cover and tempo. Last time he raced at Bergsåker, the tempo wasn't that high and he still managed to pass them all down the stretch, but there are some better horses this time and we will need a higher tempo to be able to win. But I think he should be the favorite considering how good he was before the trip to Paris".