Possession won once from eight starts last year, when he was also placed twice. Having rounded his four-year-old campaign off by running second over 2400 metres on the dirt track in early November, he goes into the new season on handicap 73 – making him one of the better run of the mill horses active in Norway these days. 2400 metres / dirt was also the task as he found his way to the winners' enclosure back in September, when winning the Taniec Handicap with such ease. They way he cruised home that day made one think that much better form would soon be just around the corner. He was so much the best, storming home 5 lengths ahead of Moonflash, a clear runner-up fully 12 ½ lengths in front of Perfect Illusion, who ran 6 ¼ lengths better than the fourth placed horse, Twisted. These were most unusual margins and do not for a minute believe it was as a result of the race being uncompetitive. Yes, Possession only had five to beat but those five have 26 wins between them as these lines are being written, and Possession slipped effortlessly away from horses that were in good form at the time. Moonflash, who has 9 wins, boosted the form with two subsequent wins, while three-time winner Perfect Illusion also went on to win again later in the autumn. Twisted, beaten 17 ½ lengths by Possession, has won 8 races and Hodor, who was hopelessly beaten into fifth, was coming to Norway with a strong CV, having notched up three wins on the trot in Sweden in the summer. Any one of these five could have won, without it being billed as a shock result – but none of them stood any sort of chance when Possession got into full flight.

Willa Synøve Schou partnered Possession in this race, while Jan-Erik Neuroth had the call when the son of Iffraaj ran second to Pine River two months later. Producing another game performance, Possession went down by 1 ½ lengths on that occasion, beating Red Valley by a length for second place. Scandinavia is a small corner of the racing world, but there are plenty of international connections to keep us on the map. Emma Nordin, who partnered Pine River to victory at Øvrevoll, is currently riding at the championship meet at Gulfstream Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of the most important racing venue in North America. Losing against her partner Pine River was no mean feat. That filly, trained by Sandra Brolin, was hitting top form at the time and she went on to run two good races in defeat at Bro Park later in the month.

So what can we expect from Possession this term? As half-brother to Privilegiado, he has always been a horse with plenty to live up to. He has the looks and he is talented but it seems clear that, unlike Privilegiado, Possession has not been a precocious, fast developing sort. Whether the dirt track is where he will always feel most at home is hard to say. The form book may argue that it is, but Possession ran well on the turf when third behind Smazig and Perfect Illusion in Norsk Rikstoto Cup over 2400 metres on the lawn last July. He was going to gain revenge on both, as Smazing was last on the day when Possession won. This is often the nature of the game in the handicap division. While some horses find form in the second half of the season, others see their form tail off a bit. Hopefully, Possession will be in for a campaign of consistency, and more success, in 2022. There should be more to come from this runner. 

GS 220314