V86®: "He ows us money"
Fortnite has left a lot of money on the table when makg breaks.
Two starts ago, the Danish trained horse was stuck behind a tired horse in the elimination to the Norwegian Derby.
Now, the stable hopes to win the S:t Leger.
Jeppe Juel makes the trip to Åby and tries his luck in the classical long distance race S:t Leger with the capable four-year-old Fortnite. Joining him on the truck are two interesting three-year-olds. We had a little chat with trainer Jeppe Juel's girlfriend Sarah Bäckman.
"4 Fortnite (V86-7) was stuck behind a tired horse in an elimination to the Norwegian Derby two starts ago. The horse in front of him got tired and Fortnite never got out. We were very disappointed that day since our horse should have made it to the final, had he just gotten the chance. This year's Norwegian Derby is not of very high class. Fortnite is no worse than any of the horses that were in the race".
Some form of consolation
Last start was victorious and served as some form of consolation.
"His form is good and I count on another good effort. He has made a lot of breaks and left a lot of money on the table, and he doesn't always help when things get tricky. Last winter, we did surgery on his hocks and he has gotten a lot better after that. He is a very capable horse and he trains very well. The distance should be fine, too. We will race him barefoot behind, with a can't-see-back bridle and with stay-in earplugs again. We wait a bit with pullouts".
"We own half of the horse and he ows us a lot of money. Fortnite is the reason we are making this trip to Åby".
Here are Sarah's comments on the stable's two other V86 starters:
"10 Hertz (V86-1) is a horse we have high expactations of. She made a break on her way to the lead in an elimination to the Oaks in her last start. Starting in the second tier this time could help her staying flat. She feels very good and with some racing luck she could do really well here. We will race her barefoot all around with an open bridle again".
"11 Hilton (V86-5) is very consistent and we think he is an extremely nice horse. He leaves fast, so it was unfortunate that he drew in the second tier. He needs racing luck. Had he gotten out in time, last time out, I think he would have made it to the final of the Swedish Kriterium and he was probably in the toughest elimination. He races well every time and he feels great in training. No changes planned" says Sarah Bäckman.