V86®: "Let's forget about last year"
The seasonal debut weeks ago at Solvalla ended in the best possible way for the Finnish horse Samvais.
Tuomas Korvenoja is hoping for a sequel in a race for four year olds on V86® this Wednesday.
"I've always known that he's real good - but let's forget about last year".
Finnish trainer Tuomas Korvenoja has twelve horses stabled at his Swedish branch and is looking forward to racing in Sweden this summer.
Samvais finished second in his elimination to the Finnish kriterium last year but failed to deliver in the final.
Korvenoja is telling us about a complicated year for the Finnish born stud horse named after a hobbit in The Lord Of The Rings.
"Samvais is a big horse who weren't able to develop enough strength last year. He battled some sickness too and he wasn't himself in the final of the kriterium. So we called it a year after that and he has gotten all this time to get ready for this year" says Tuomas Korvenoja who has his Swedish stable at Julmyra Horse Center in Heby.
The Finnish trainer will make the trip to Örebro on Wednesday. Solvalla is getting ready for the Elitlopp weekend and this week's V86® Xpress will be held at Åby and Örebro.
V86-2 is a race for four year olds where Samvais will start from post position six behind the gate.
"He can leave pretty well and I'll try to leave a bit to see what happens in the start".
Lowered his lifetime amrk at Solvalla
Samvais has been trained in Sweden for the last month. Two weeks ago he won his seasonal debut at Solvalla.
From post position eleven behind the gate Samvais got a good start from the second tier. Tuomas Korvenoja could sit until the home stretch and found a clear path in between horses to win.
"He finished very well and got a new lifetime mark, 1:13.9. Things are looking up for him again and he's starting to fulfil the expectations we have on him. I haven't studied the race and I barely know anything about the other horses - but considering what he showed in his last start I think he should have a chance" says the trainer.
In V86-2 on Wednesday the inside horse Eddy West is known to leave fast, so is Rotate. But Korvenoja wants to play too.
"He's pretty quick out of the gate but he doesn't need the front. This race might be a little tougher than his last start but we'll give it a try. I'm sure he will be sharper in Örebro with last start in his legs".
"No rush going back home"
Samvais will race with the same equipment as he did at Solvalla. Tuomas Korvenoja won't change anything when he was so good racing barefoot upfront, with a blind bridle and pullout earplugs.
"If he is as good as we hope, he should do fine is these type of races in Sweden this summer. There's no rush going back home to Finland until this fall when it's time for derby eliminations".