V86® (jackpot): Will Hail Mary make it to Elitloppet again this year?
Last year, Hail Mary finished second in Elitloppet after a top effort.
Mehdi Yazdanpanah who co-owns the star trotter hopes that the start in The Onion's race on V86® at Solvalla this Wednesday will take him all the way to Elitloppet again this year.
"We have a truly incredible horse who I think hasn't shown his full potential yet".
The Onion's race is known as one of the big preparation races at Solvalla for the big day, the last Sunday of May.
A sign of spring over the sprint distance where potential Elitlopp candidates are entered every year.
On Wednesday, the race goes as the sixth V86® leg. Only eight horses were entered and Hail Mary from the star-studded Daniel Redén stable looks like the likely favorite.
The seven-year-old stallion has not raced since he finished second in the STL Open in September last year and his form is questionable.
One of the best horses in the world after last year's second place in Elitloppet. But a difficult horse to bet on after his long hiatus.
Hail Mary was passed by the French horse Etonnant shortly before the finish line in the final of Elitloppet last year (pictured). The feelings that co-owner Mehdi Yazdapanah had at that moment, he wishes to never experience again.
Or maybe he does.
"I'm torn. To finish second was huge and fantastic. At the same time, I remember the last 150 meters of the final. I thought we were going to win, but then I saw that Etonnant came and was going to pass us. It's strange to say...but it was an awful feeling. But it only lasted for half an hour – then we were happy with the second place!" says Mehdi Yazdanpanah who owns Hail Mary together with some friends and family members. The 42-year-old Yazdanpanah is originally from Stockholm but now resides in Spain.
But the harness racing lover will be at Solvalla to watch his horse race on Wednesday.
"I will arrive in Stockholm on Tuesday evening and fly back home again on Thursday. Where he finishes is not important this time, as long as Hail shows that he has wintered well. He could win, but the plan is not to be in top form on Wednesday. This race is a stepping stone for the season. Of course, Elitloppet is what we are dreaming of and where we want to race" says the co-owner.
Likes the buzz this time of the year
Spring in the air with fast tracks and races. Mehdi loves it.
"Heck, this is what we have been waiting for, for so long. All the nice horses. The buzz about Elitloppet. We need the stars. Like Francesco Zet, San Moteur, and the others. Now, these two horses are not in the race on Wednesday but if the best horses race frequently this year, they will have to race against each other pretty often and try to beat each other. That's what I like, that's the fun part of racing!"
No starts for seven months for Hail Mary. Do you know anything about his current form?
"Considering that the horse never really got the time he needed last year and also his injuries, finishing second was incredibly good. Daniel said that he trained the horse differently this past winter and tried to straighten the horse up a little bit more, and he hopes that will benefit him. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, I was there to visit at the farm and he was very satisfied with the horse then. But I know the training conditions have been troublesome at the farm with all the weather changes and so on. So I really don't know anything about his form" says the co-owner.
The handicappers about the Wednesday race
Who wins The Onion's race, V86-6 at Solvalla?
We forward the question to two handicappers named Berglund (no relation).
Hail Mary starts from post position five behind the gate with Örjan Kihlström in the sulky. To his inside, there are fast leavers like Click Bait, Milliondollarrhyme, and Seismic Wave.
Stefan Berglund at V75-Guiden on the Wednesday race:
"The race analysis from Guiden will be put together later in the week by the entire editorial staff. My personal opinion is that Click Bait takes the lead and I don't think any of the other horses are in good enough form to beat him. I talked to Stefan 'Tarzan' Melander last Friday. The way it sounded on him, it will be a huge difference this time compared to the previous starts this year. Click Bait is a sprinter and he usually finds his form when it gets warmer and the tracks are better. He will also race barefoot behind this time. Hail Mary is a fantastic horse when he's at his best but it's not reasonable to belive he is in top form now. Not many of Redén's horses have been very good in their first starts, except Faeza Zet and maybe someone else. If Hail mary comes out and wins in 1:09 on Wednesday, then Redén hasn't done his job you can say, since that's a horse who is supposed to be better later this year" says Stefan Berglund at V75-Guiden.
Daniel Berglund at Travronden on the Wednesday race:
"I have just looked at the start list so far and have thought about it. I haven’t started working with the race card yet. As a bettor, you have to be skeptical about Hail Mary since he hasn't raced in so long. If you look at how Redén's horses have performed in their first starts, it's obvious they haven't exactly been in top form. Hail Mary is a big, heavy horse and it feels like he should need a tightener. Sure, he was good in his seasonal debut last year, but this feels different. I was a bit disappoionted in Hail Mary last fall, in Åby Stora Pris and the STL Open where I thought he didn't race at his best. So, there's a questionmark going into this season. I have heard rumors about him having a much better winter and that he has trained much better than the year before. But, that's just a rumor, we don't know. It will be very interesting. My feeling is that they won't give him the race, with some fast leavers and front lovers inside of him. There shouldn't be any reason for the others to give up the lead either, the drivers understand that this is not the most important race for Hail Mary this year" says Daniel Berglund at Travronden.