Matti Nissonen doubts his horse will not win in Oulu.
On Saturday, Matti Nissonen’s herd of horses, which have not been seen competing on Finnish cavalry for a long time, will bring color to Oulu’s Kaavioliga revs.
In autumn, as in the previous year, the private coaches from Einari Vidgren Oy moved their equipment to compete in Sweden for the winter. Their base was the Julmyra training center on the outskirts of Uppsala.
Nissonen’s trainee returned to his home in Viermaa on Tuesday and is immediately looking for the big money in the main races of the week.
In the trainer’s opinion, the horse’s success on Swedish tracks was not as good as the previous winter. However, he did not get discouraged.
We didn’t win as much as before, but our horses ran well. We didn’t have as many horses that attended the series as last year, says Nissonen
— but there’s nothing but a new worm on the hook again next fall, Koch says.
Nissonen says that the main number of his apprentices in Sweden was between 12 and 14.
Matti Nissonen moved his horse from Sweden to Veerema at the start of the week. Photo: Juho Hamalen / Sumen Hippos
Better competition opportunities and good prizes are the biggest reasons why skaters from Einari Vidgren Oy have become accustomed to moving to the western neighboring countries for the winter.
– There are several tracks around Julmayra, where you can drive for prizes at the same level as the Finnish Toto75. The second is with our horses in Finland, where the distance from Vierema to our competition is very long, especially in winter.
In summer also the situation is much better here because there are more revs around us.
After Oulu, big-prize Kaavioliga trots are held on consecutive weekends in Vierema, Kajaani and Jyväskylä, so Nissonen’s transport truck does not have to spend an unreasonable amount of fat on competition trips.
– This year, horses competing in Finland are again more meaningful, as the Toto75 division system is back, Nissonen explains.
Radetsky’s condition is improving. Photo: Mia Maki-Mouns
Nissonen is footing the bill for the biggest of the four in Radetzky Oulu. Ruuna will take part in the Number One Start, which is limited to top crabbers born in Finland, with the winner receiving €15,000.
Radetzky was on a break for a few months at the beginning of the year, after which he started twice. It finished fourth both times.
For the first time in Eskilstuna, the horse looked to lead all the way but he stiffened in the very last meters to allow three opponents to overtake him.
Afterward, in a tightly contested Solvalla, Radetzky went on an 11.0-speed lap.
– The horse was still not at his best after the break, but improved in his second contest. It went well, and in the opinion of coach Mika Fors, it was already in the same mood as Eskilstuna’s debut, Nissonen says.
Radetzky’s trademark, driven by Nissonen, is the brutal opening pace.
– Rouna can start really hard, and I try to use that advantage a short distance away from a good starting point. Even if we get in front, I’m not sure whether I’ll be riding from there or off someone’s back. It also depends on how fast the speed is.
– Since Oulu has a tough start, Radetzky’s win will be a bit of a surprise, but I expect a good run from him.
Radetzky, coached by Matti Nissonen, won last summer’s Suur-Holola race semi-final, driven by Antti Teiveinen (right).
Nissonen says Radetzky is aiming for the Suur-Holola race in the summer, the main annual competition for warm-bloods bred in Finland. It had won the preliminary and semi-finals in Lahti last year, but finished last in the final.
-The horse didn’t have enough hardiness for last summer’s Suur-Holola. Let’s try again this year.
The coach’s performance expectations for Radetzky are pretty similar to those of his other proteges going into Saturday.
– They have some poor starting positions from which it is not easy to predict runs.
– Even if there is no win, I would be satisfied if all our horses had a good run and placed near the top.
