V86®: "By far the best horse I have trained"
Christoffer Eriksson has never trained a better horse.
On Wednesday, Rackham makes his much anticipated seasonal debut on V86®.
"I have the best horse, but he is not trained to be in top form for this race" says the Jägersro-licensed trainer.
Rackham's racing career was off to a fairly slow start. It wasn't until last year that he kicked it into overdrive. He won several times on V75®, often the hard way. In the last start of the year, he delivered an effort that made Eriksson dream.
"I think he can race in the big races this year. ®I have felt all along that he is an awesome horse, by far the best horse I have trained. He is tough as nails and has come out of the tough trips he has gotten in a very good way. In one of the starts last year he was hung out three-wide the entire race and almost won anyway. That time I was worried about how he would race in the following start, but he came back even better, he is so tough".
Planning a trip to France
The plan was to take the horse to France for the winter, but that never happened.
"The ground froze and we also got some snow in December so we decided not to go. It would have taken too much out of the horse. I had my horse where I wanted him and we stayed home and trained instead. We will go to France this fall instead if it all works out".
On Wednesday, 6 Rackham (V86-1) makes his first start of the year on V86 and he does it at his home track.
"It's a race that looks suitable for him, but he is not in top form in any way and he faces horses that are in race shape and he can't just show up and win by default. I have no doubt that I have the best horse and I think he is ready to deliver a good effort right away".
How has he trained?
"He has trained well. I have him as well prepared as I can. I have trained him faster at Jägersro twice. Last Monday I trained him at 1:15/2,000 meters in a good way and I have never been able to train that fast with him before. It feels like he has developed even more".
What does his future look like?
"He is still in the silver division and the plan is to race him here at home at Jägersro on April 9. This race on Wednesday sits perfectly in the calendar and will be a good sharpener".
And if you look further into the future?
"I believe I have a horse who can compete against the best ones, especially over longer distances and the plan is to give it a try if everything works out. The plans of racing in France are still there. I am certain he will do well there regardless of the competition".
You also have 11 Protector Tile (V86-7) racing on Wednesday. What is his status?
"He feels good. In his last start, the blinds came down and he made a break. This time he lost the draw over the short distance. I will give him a nice trip and hope to make as much money as we can".