V86® (jackpot): Dubai Kronos is Jerry's Derby contender
A true tough guy whose strength is his best feature.
Dubai Kronos has emerged as a possible Derby winner. This Wednesday, he rehearses on V86 in Eskilstuna.
"If you do well in this race, you have to be a Derby contender" says trainer Jerry Riordan.
It will be a fantastic Wednesday evening. V86, which is boosted by a nice jackpot, is being held in Eskilstuna with top-class trot races.
One of the evening's features is Eskilstuna's Fyraåringstest. Besides a nice check of SEK 300,000 to the winner, it is also a classical test as we get closer to the Swedish Trotting Derby since the race goes over the Derby distance. The long distance is something that has proven to suit 2 Dubai Kronos (V86-7) very well.
The Jerry Riordan trainee has emerged as a Derby hope thanks to his recent success. His last two victories came over the mighty distance of 3,140 meters, and last time out this tough guy was very impressive when he won on The Sprint Championship night at Halmstad.
"He had some mishaps early on in his career but closed out last year strongly and has continued to be very good. We are very happy with him" says the Halmstad licensed trainer and continues:
"He has not been anywhere close to being tired and he's incredibly strong. His limitation would be that he doesn't have a lot of speed yet. He can trot far and long. But he's a smart horse and he's starting to be more and more relaxed the more experience he gets and hopefully, he can develop and be even better".
Rarely had a stronger horse
The Ready Cash son Dubai Kronos with a golden pedigree, as he is a full brother to Vamp Kronos has won seven times in 16 starts but he has so far not faced the very best four-year-olds. But as we get closer to the Derby, it is also time for that.
"The Derby has been the goal for him the entire time, he has that much class, and with the pedigree he has and the type of horse he is, it's been a given goal. I have rarely had a stronger horse. He is one of the toughest yearlings I ever broke, just because he was already then so very strong and tough".
Do you see a potential Derby winner in Dubai Kronos?
"Yes, I think so. But, as I said, what he really lacks so far is that real speed and at some point during a race, you usually need it. If it's a Derby where they trot the last 500 meters at 1:09 speed it will be hard for him, but if they go 1:12 and that's also the time of the race...that's his type of race".
Enjoys tough trips and going first up
But let us not get ahead of ourselves too much.
First on the schedule is the Wednesday Fyraåringstest. A race that for obvious reasons is of the highest class. Among the opponents are some of the country’s best four-year-olds, such as Bedazzled Sox, Tetrick Wania, and Excusez Moi.
"I saw that Daniel Redén has a horse, Ante La Roque (third in last year's Kriterium ed's note) who didn't even have enough start points to get in which says a lot about the quality of the race. If you do well in this race, you have to be a Derby contender" says Jerry.
Do you think Dubai Kronos should have a good chance to win on Wednesday?
"I think so. Had I gotten to choose my post position, I would have chosen the one we got, and Mika Forss who has driven in most of his starts, gets along well with the horse. This is not a horse you can give a preparé race, so to speak, he almost enjoys the tough trips. He wants to bring them down and he likes racing first up, that's the type of horse he is".
You also have 8 Lorenzo Boko (V86-1). What can you tell us about him?
"He has made breaks in his last two starts, both times in the turns when the driver tried to grab ahold of him. Considering that, post eight this time in volt start is perfect for him. He's a good horse and he will do well going forward, but at the same time, he is a bit of a longshot here".