V86® (jackpot): Samuelsson has a stable in good form
You can't complain about the form of the Ola Samuelsson stable.
The Jägersro licensed trainer thinks that both his V86® starters have a chance to win this Wednesday.
A V86® card that was relatively easy to hit last week meant that there was no payout for the bettors with six winners picked on their tickets. That means that this week's V86, which is shared between Solvalla and Jägersro, is calculated to make a sole winner at least SEK 18 million richer.
Someone who might be worth keeping an eye on is Ola Samuelsson. The native of Sundbyberg who has Jägersro as his home track is off to a flying start to the new year. The stable has already surpassed SEK 1 million in earnings after a V75 double at Kalmar in January. On top of that, Heroine Darling recently won the final of Diamantstoet at Solvalla.
On Wednesday, Samuelsson races at his home track and he has two starters on V86.
The five-year-old 2 Zinfandel (V86-1) has raced frequently on V75 this past winter, but last time out he raced in a regular overnight race at Jägersro. A bit troublesome trip resulted in him crossing the finish line with plenty left in his tank.
"He had to go four wide already down the backstretch, in his last start. It was a bit tricky with the positions and the horse never really got in the race and ended up being locked in at the end. He crossed the finish line without being tired and with a nice bounce to his stride. That was a good race for him mentally, not having to go all out" says Ola and adds:
"Zinfandel is a consistent horse and he also drew well now. He won't get past the 1 (Woodbury Wine) here, that mare is very fast out of the gate. but mine is pretty fast too and should get a decent trip".
But form-wise Zinfandel is at the same level as he has been lately?
"He feels just as good as earlier and we will keep racing him, he also likes that it's at home this time, so he doesn't have to ship. It's nice for him to race at home and I think he will give us a good effort. At the same time, he steps up in class all the time and it's not as easy to pass them at the end anymore. But with some racing luck, he could hit the board".
Feels much better going into this start
If we turn the program page, we find the next starter from the Samuelsson stable. The four-year-old mare 4 Twenty Dollar (V86-3) joined the stable last spring and has won one out of her nine starts. In her last start she almost got another win when the Muscle Massive mare finished a close second.
"She has raced well in her last two starts after a break. She got a bit sore after her last start so we had to treat her up. After that, she has trained for a while and feels very good right now. Saying that she just goes out here and wins is pushing it, but we drew well and she could be a longshot".
Does it feel like the form is still on its way up?
"Yes, plus she feels sounder too. She was struggling with her gait last time out and almost made a break down the stretch. She definitely feels much better now and should be able to deliver".
When she won, she did it from the lead. Is she quick out of the gate?
"She can leave. I don’t know If she takes the lead or not. I don't really know the opponents. I don't have very high expectations on her when she races against the boys, but she is talented enough to have a chance to win".
Starting March 1, it is allowed to race barefoot again. Is that something that applies to your starters on Wednesday?
"I think we will wait a bit with that. Zinfandel has raced well with shoes before and can carry that extra weight for now. We will take them off when it gets warmer and things start heating up for real".
The bettors should take your horses into consideration, at least?
"I don't have any great chances to win, but both are good enough to hit the board".