Our Way 1
BY SOFIA LUNDGREN PHOTO SAMUEL UNÉUS/ANNIKA LINDB
LOM YTTERSTA PASI AIKIO PROFESSION: Trainer at Yttersta AGE: born 1971 HAVING SPENT many years in the business, Pasi has a clear idea about how a good horse should look and behave. How the horse moves and how easily it trots are important factors; however, so too is the feeling he gets from the horse. How does it behave in the stable and during training? Pasi says that he likes a horse to be calm so that it doesn’t burn energy unnecessarily. “Every autumn we have a crop of some 20 young horses entering training at the age of around 1½-years. We begin by longreining them for at least one month before harnessing them to a sulky. We then begin training to build up the horses physically and mentally. The aim is to start them in their first race as 3-year-olds. How many starts a horse will do in its first season is highly individual. Our ambition is to enter horses in all of the major races for 3- and 4-year-olds and the goal is that our horses in training should be good enough for Solvalla and V75.” IT IS DIFFICULT to say how long a horse’s competitive career will last given that, just like their training regimes, this is highly individual. The standard of races increases with time as the classes become more difficult, the more prize money the horse wins. When a horse’s trotting career ends and it is taken out of training, it will either be used as a stud or sold as a leisure horse. “We never allow a horse to train and compete past the point that it enjoys it,” concludes Pasi. > OUR WAY MENHAMMAR 25 FAMILY: partner and two sons YEARS IN THE BUSINESS: 30 WHO’S WHO ”Who´s Who has been something of a surprise, but he is also exactly the kind of horse we look for at Yttersta,” says Pasi. “As a young horse he did what was asked of him at training but no more than that. He had a good gait but never really outshone the others; it was only when he began speed work and running in qualifying races that it became apparent what a good horse he is.” Who’s Who won the 2018 Swedish Trotting Derby, setting a new world record for four-yearolds of 1.12.0 over 2,640 metres. THE JUBILEE TROPHY The main goal for success horse Who’s Who during 2019 is the Jubilee Trophy at Solvalla and the training is organised and adapted to just that race. ”Who´s Who is currently in intensive training using a resistance cart at low speeds to build strength, but he will soon be moving on to speed work in order to be ready for the Jubilee Trophy on Menhammar Day in August. He will have a bit more time to prepare as we are slowly building up towards top form so that he peaks at the right time. As part of his preparations, Who’s Who will be starting two or three times prior to the Jubilee Trophy.” PHOTO: CLAES KÄRRSTRAND