V86® (jackpot): Hot info from Stenströmer – "Good enough to win"
V86® this Wednesday at Vaggeryd comes with a jackpot.
Ulf Stenströmer starts five horses on the popular pick-eight card – and he has some interesting information about his starters.
"I don't have a great chance to win with either of them, but they all have some chance. With so a perfect trip, one of them could end up the winner. Kipketer Mearas is good enough to win, but the post position lowers his chances," says Stenströmer.
V86® continues its summer tour around the country and stops at Vaggeryd this week. The card comes with a jackpot and there is SEK 12 million in the pool for all eight winners picked. The home stretch is 200 meters long and Ulf Stenströmer is in the spotlight as he sends out five V86 starters. The Axevalla licensed trainer has good info as usual on his horses, and he could end up bringing a win back home to Skara. We go through the horses in the order they appear in the program, starting in the first leg, a stayer race over 3,600 meters where Stenströmer has two starters.
"1 Hollywood Trick (V86-1) is in much better form than the program tells you. In his most recent start, he was hung out three wide the entire first kilometer and couldn't find a spot anywhere. He had to take back to last and advance three wide again, with cover the last kilometer. He raced great and Victor Rosleff who drove, said he should win a race soon. He's in good form and I think he will handle the distance. He has raced well on 2,600 meters before and now it's another 1,000 meters. But our horses' best quality is usually their strength, so I hope that goes for him too. Tough horses are starting behind us, but considering his good form he could end up top three. He has left fast in volt start before and been stable," says Ulf Stenströmer.
"9 Luca Vialli Boko (V86-1) is good now, but last time out he got himself in trouble when he bore out and made a break as Björn Goop was sending him to the lead. It wasn't a soundness issue; he had problems with an eye before and he races with a mask over his eye. I don't know if he saw a shadow that spooked him, or what it was, but Björn didn't like the way he behaved and thought it was very strange. He feels good in training so we hope he behaves this time. His best quality is his strength and he won a 4-kilometer race at Axevalla last year, so 3,600 meters should be no problem for him".
"For him to win, he needs the lead – he fights hard there"
Also in the third leg, the Stenströmer stable sends out two starters, where Ringo Adore is the favorite when we do this interview. Inside of him is stablemate Immigrant Am and for him, the game plan is given.
"2 Immigrant Am (V86-3) is much better when he is in the lead and that's the plan here. For him to win a tough race like this, he needs the lead and we will do all we can to get him there. He is lightning-fast out of the gate and is very nice-gaited and he can trot fast around the turns. He can usually handle leaving hard and it's better for him to come to the first kilometer mark in 1:11 than in 1:15. Thomas Uhrberg has driven him before and knows the horse's best qualities. I'm guessing he will do all he can to get him to the lead. The horse looks sound and he's fresh and happy. In his last two starts, he started from the second tier, and in his last start in Åmål he got a good start and a good trip, but he gets lazy at times. So, as I said, we have to do all we can to get him to the lead where he fights hard. If so, he could end up going wire-to-wire," says Stenströmer.
"3 Ringo Adore (V86-3) has raced well every time for us, except for his last start. The skies opened up twenty minutes before the race and the track got rock hard. I hope that it was a one-time thing, due to the track. He feels good in training and he's also happy and alert, so, we will try again. The weather looks good for Wednesday and the track should be fast. If so, I think he will race well and normally he's a winning candidate, he just needs to straighten out the question mark from his last start".
"The horse is good enough to win"
In the seventh leg, the Stenströmer trainee Kipketer Mearas is the favorite as we do this interview. The horse has no luck in the draw and drew poorly for the third straight time. But his form is good, according to the Axevalla trainer.
"10 Kipketer Mearas (V86-7) was great when he finished second at Solvalla three starts ago. He was incredible that night, but he races best when he's near the front and he started from bad spots his last two starts and he drew in the second tier again. It's hard to make up lengths this time of the year and it's the same thing at Vaggeryd. When I entered him here, I had great hopes, but I have to admit that I lost some of it when I saw the post position. We have to hope for a high pace and the right cover because the horse feels good and strong and will race well. He is definitely good enough to win a race like this and I understand that he will bet down. The post position lowers his chances, but he is not at all chanceless," says Ulf Stenströmer.
Which of your horses do you have the best feeling about?
"I don't think I have a great chance to win with either of them, but they all have some chance. OK, it might be tough for Hollywood Trick to win, even though he's in good form, but the others can all win with a perfect trip".