V86®/jackpot: "A great horse - he'll win again"
V86® this Wednesday comes with an added jackpot where one winner can take home SEK 13 millions.
The Finnish winning machine and world record holder Hotshot Luca is the given favorite and the trainer says he'll win again.
"He's a great horse and i think he'll win again".
The three year old super talented horse takes the ferry across the Baltic Sea in pursuit of his 14th win in his 20th career start. Hotshot Luca had raced on Swedish soil before and the last time he was here he won the Big Noon Trophy with Erik Adielsson very impressively in a new world record time of 1:12.8/1640 meters volt start.
"He was incredibly good then and he's just a great horse, the best horse I've ever trained" says trainer Ari-Pekka Pakkanen who trains 15 horses just outside Tammerfors, Finland. Since five years back he also has a stable in Sweden - at Söderby gård - where he currently has two horses. Therefor he's listed as Solvalla trainer in the program.
Never raced badly
Pakkanen has had great success with his three year old this year and Hotshot Luca has won 11 of the 17 starts he's made and finished second twice and earned SEK 1.9 millions.
He now has four straight wins and the one time he didn't win was five starts back, in the Finnish Kriterium.
"But not because he was bad - quite the contrary actually. He had terrible racing luck, was hung out three wide and had to back down last. The pace was low and he sprinted home well" says Pakkanen.
"He's won all the other big three year old races in Finland and the few times he lost he never raced badly. He's had some bad racing luck, that's all".
"He has no weakness"
Ari-Pekka Pakkanen got Hotshot Luca in training in the summer as a two year old but before his racing debut Pakkanen couldn't imagine he was training a future world record holder.
"He was and still is a very lazy horse in training and he doesn't want to go very fast. It's hard to train him faster than 1:25 speed. But once he was in a race he showed us what he's made of and then I realized this horse is very special".
"He's a very versatile horse with no weakness. He's strong, speedy. never made a break and he's got a great attitude. Sometimes he can be lazy in a race too and won't do more than necessary. It will be interesting to see him next year, I think he'll be even better with a winter of training. This start will be his last of the year".
Won the Breeders Crown on the outside
This Wednesday's V86®, spiced up with a jackpot is split between Solvalla and Jägersro. Hotshot Luca will be the giant favorite at Solvalla in V86-6 where he's going for five wins in a row. He'll start from post three behind the gate and will be driven by Örjan Kihlström since regular driver Mika Forss has other assignments back home in Helsinki. Pakkanen is optimistic and thinks he'll win again.
"Hotshot Luca (V86-6) won the Finnish Breeders Crown in Åbo on the outside in his last start and raced very well. Two starts ago he won on the front end. It's been a long year but I think he feels just as good as he has all year. I trained him today (Monday) and he felt good".
"He can leave the gate and he'll race from any position. Being on the outside doesn't bother him. We've raced against Global Un Poco several times and this time we have the better post. At the elitlopp weekend he trotted 1:11.8 from post twelve in the three year old race (Treåringseliten)".
"He will start his journey on Monday night since we're bringing horses for Eskilstuna on Tuesday night. Hotshot Luca will stay at my barn at Söderby gård. I think he'll win again" says Ari-Pekka Pakkanen.
Any equipment or shoeing changes?
"No, he's always raced with shoes and we won't change anything. We're saving the barefoot gear for next year. He'll race with the pull down bridle he's had for the last three starts and a regular sulky he's also had lately. We've tried the American sulky a couple of times but he needs a little help with the gaiting poles".