V75®: The Elitlopp horse ready for his return - "A good chance to win"
He finished third in last year's Paralympic Trot and made it to the Elitlopp final.
On Saturday, the top trotter Night Brodde returns – and goes straight out in the first qualifying leg of the Paralympic Trot.
"He feels great and drew the best possible post position. He should have a good chance right off the layoff" says Marcus Waldmüller, second trainer in the Conrad Lugauer stable.
Åby hosts V75 this Saturday which is also the start of the qualifying legs to the first bigger race of the season, the Paralympic Trot. Conrad Lugauer lets his star trotter Night Brodde make his seasonal debut after a six-month-long layoff. Last year, this top trotter established himself in the European elite when he won his seasonal debut – which was also a leg of the Paralympic Trot – and finished third in the final. He later got voted into Elitloppet where he also made it to the final, after finishing fourth in his elimination. But in the final, he was disqualified for making a break down the stretch. Night Brodde did not show the right form in the second half of the season and after having raced in both Italy and Austria, he was put away already in October.
"I have a bad cold and my throat hurts. Call Markus, I have a hard time talking and I have to save my voice" says Conrad Lugauer, when he calls back after we have tried to reach him.
The Jägersro trainer had a great day last Saturday with a win both on V75 and in Margaretas Tidiga Unghästserie. The earnings of the day surpassed SEK 600,000. So, we call Lugauer's assistant trainer and cousin Markus Waldmüller who can give us information about the horses racing on V75.
We start with the hottest one of them all, who also seems to be the best chance for the Lugauer stable, according to Waldmüller.
"Has trained some tougher intervals – our best chance on the card"
"1 Night Brodde (V75-3) got an early end to the season with rest and winter training. He simply needed a vacation after many tough races and a tough season. He had several highlights last year and I think he feels just as good now as he did before his seasonal debut last year. He won his first start back then and it's not impossible that he can do the same thing again. He is just as well prepared and has trained continuously throughout the winter. 'Connie' has also trained some tougher intervals with him, on top of the regular uphill training. He hasn't been to the racetrack at all, but he doesn't need that" says Marcus Waldmüller.
"He feels great and drew the best possible post position here. He is very quick out of the gate and should get a good start. At Åby, there's also the passing lane if you don't want to race him on the lead. He will race barefoot and with an American sulky right away. He has shown so much class that he should have a good chance to win right off the layoff. I think he is the best chance we have on the card".
"First time barefoot upfront - he could win"
The Lugauer stable has three more starters on V75 and it does not look bad for any of them. Markus Waldmüller tells us about them in the order they appear in the program.
"7 Humanity Pellini (V75-2) has shown good form this year and has raced well every time. Two wins and two thirds and he has been out against some tougher horses. He raced well in his last start too and we are happy with how he's developing. Post seven behind the gate here is not so good, but if things work out he's not chanceless. It might be more realistic to hope for a top three finish, but with a good trip, there's also the chance that he could win. I think there's more to come from this horse. We are going back to racing with shoes all around as earlier, it worked out better for him than barefoot all around as we tried last time out. He is also entered with an American sulky for the first time, we will see if he will race with it on Saturday".
"5 Romero (V75-5) got in a tight spot in the homestretch last time out. He was far from tired and tried getting through a hole that wasn't there. He was disqualified for interference. But he has shown good form with several second and third-place finishes before that. This is a pretty tough field and even if he drew well, I think a top three finish is more realistic to hope for. Barefoot all around and no changes".
"10 Leroy Boko (V75-7) has only made one start this year after a long layoff. He was a bit interfered with in the start when another horse made a break. They left hard and he lost 30 or 40 meters on that break, but raced well after it and should be improved with that start in his legs. With a good trip, he has the qualities to be good enough for this class. He won three starts in a row at this time of the year last year and if he gets a perfect trip, there is a chance that he could win. He will race barefoot upfront for the first time" says Markus Waldmüller.