The trotting profile Mohammed Malla on the time at the new dream job • Offers a huge shock to V75: “Can be a nail”
Published 2023-11-09 11.12
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Mohammed Malla thrives as sports director at Bergsåker. Photo: Lars Jakobsson / Tr Bild
Bergsåker is hosting Saturday’s V75 competitions.
The track’s sporting director, former television profiler Mohammed Malla, can then look back on eight months in his new profession.
– It’s not a bed of roses. I have received the occasional scolding, he says.
On Saturday, Bergsåker will host a V75 party with an associated jackpot of SEK 46 million.
Then there are usually busy days for the track’s sporting director Mohammed Malla, who completed eight months at his new job just in time for the weekend.
And if the former game expert is to be trusted, the V75 is combined with a little extra tension.
– It actually starts already on Sunday evening when you get to see who starts. Then we prepare the program, where the horses will stand and besides, there are a lot of people who call, he says and continues:
– I think we had great competitions on Saturday and it is extra fun that Daniel Wäjersten chooses to start Great Skills here. She is very, very good. I won’t be surprised if she is one of those in the Prix d’Amerique this winter.
“I want to be a public face”
Home trainer Wäjersten has been successful and is an important draw for Sundsvallsbanan. Perhaps even more so now that colleague Robert Bergh has moved to the west coast.
– It is very important to have such large profiles. Daniel has won races on V75 basically every weekend and that attracts new horse owners, which is great for the track.
What can visitors really expect on Saturday?
– We make sure that they will have a very good experience in terms of competitions, food, drinks and service. Regarding family events, on the other hand, it is a little more difficult in autumn and winter when you are more dependent on the weather.
Malla also notes that the competitions clash with Easter Sunday, where Sundsvall is lit up to the tunes of Lisa Nilsson, but hopes that the audience will still find their way to the track.
The 52-year-old took up his new role this spring and when Trav365 had a chat with the trotting profile, he was bursting with anticipation for what was to come.
– It is a privilege to get this chance. I want to be a face and a person who is a good example, he said then.
“It was a smashing success”
What do you remember from the first days and weeks at work?
– God, it’s so fun that I got the chance. I had some ideas that we worked on, including investing in the horse owners and our events. Most people have given positive feedback about this. A large part of my work is also to be a public face, with a very free role and great help from my team.
Mohammed further explains that former sports manager Thomas Almqvist was a great help and welcoming mentor during the “training period”.
– He was very structured and good at teaching things. It is not possible to press the wrong button and redo, like when you stroke a horse by mistake. Thomas is available and has always been very generous with his time.
– It is difficult to fill the place after such a person, or the legendary Håkan “Lillis” Olsson. However, I must manage that legacy in the best possible way.
Were you thrown into the hot air right away?
– It was like that with a lot that you need to learn. Every thing is something new that I haven’t done before. We organized “Horse Day”. It was a resounding success and the number of students in the trotting school increased by over one hundred percent. It is something we will continue with.
“I am a very ambitious person”
Has anything about your new job surprised you?
– That there are so many people who are so incredibly committed and positive! Another thing is that there is such joy in our youth activities, which are doing ponies in the trotting school. It is much bigger than people think and we must highlight it even more as regrowth is needed to secure our future.
Has the job involved more work than you might have first thought?
– I received a job description from my boss Henrik Montin, but it is clear that most people do more than that. It has probably been more hours than what is expected of me, but this is something I am more than happy to do because I want to show my front legs and enjoy myself in the workplace.
– I wake up every morning and think: “Damn, what fun it will be to go to work!” I see myself as a very ambitious person with my feet firmly on the ground.”
A little over six months later, he is now warm in his clothes and can look back on his time as sports director with satisfaction, even if it has not always gone according to plan.
– Some things have been done well, others less well. Like not having highlighted a race or local active more. It’s not a bed of roses.
On Saturday, the cap goes on when Bergsåker drives V75. Photo: Lars Jakobsson / Tr Bild
“We must continue to develop the sport”
Malla reveals that the working day doesn’t always end just because he steps through the door of his home, but then he usually retreats for a while and rubs his genius bumps.
– After each competition day, I reflect and take notes on how we could have done better and what was good.
A sports director is rarely spared from criticism, is he?
– It is clear that I have also received the occasional scolding on the stable back. Not everyone comes and pats one on the back, but I have also noticed the opposite. Then you get to join in and listen to how we can make things better.
– People often have something to say and the commitment within the trot is incredibly strong. Sometimes, however, there are people who want it as it was 50 years ago, but that’s not how it looks today. We must change and continue to develop the sport, above all our facilities.
The latter, however, is a financial issue and in these tough times when many courses and actives are on their knees, it is not always easy to wave the magic wand and make everyone happy.
– Look at how the world looks. It is tough to own a trotting horse, but we here at Bergsåker are working on developing a project where you can become a cooperative horse owner, something that does not cost a lot of money to be able to share the experience of owning a horse.
– We must continue to attract people to this fine sport that we have. I love the trot and my hope is that even my children in 40 years will be able to go on the trot and enjoy it.
“The adventure will continue”
We guess that there was not only negative criticism but also a lot of praise during your time as sports manager?
– Yes, and it’s fun. It is important to be able to take credit when you have done things well. I believe in making small positive changes and above all our arrangement during the Sundsvall Open Trot was very successful, with a lot of people who were treated to a party in the evening.
Mohammed also highlights the importance of being able to attract four-legged world stars to Norrlandsbanan, and in connection with the Sundsvall Open Trot, they received celebrity visits in the form of both Hail Mary and San Moteur.
– We were lucky then. It was a big deal for us. Despite the weather, we managed to slow down the audience loss and may now be on the way up.
– Swedish Trotting has made a great investment regarding the summer trot, which attracts audiences and this is something we will continue with.
How would you summarize your eight months at Bergsåker?
– It has been very educational, important, surprising and exciting. This adventure will continue and I am already looking forward to next year, the year after that and so on. I then hope to be able to make things better all the time and am here for everyone who has horses around the track.
What are the plans for the future?
– In 2024, I hope we can do at least as well as this year. I am very positive, even if there is talk of savings requirements. This is something that one must have understanding for these tough times. However, our management is doing really well and most people on the track are involved in the decisions.
Offers V75 brawl: “Fun move”
The conversation draws to a close and unsurprisingly we slip into Saturday’s V75 races.
Sports director in all honor, but among friends Malla is called “Miljon-Mudde”, and then you can guess that the former trotting TV expert has a joke or two up his sleeve.
And of course that is the case!
– I think there is a funny feature in the cold-blooded race. Perso (V75-2) has three races in the body. Last time he got a gap too late and shot very well. Interesting position now and the horse has the speed to be able to win the race.
– Four percent right now is fun and he can be a complementary nail to Great Skills in the gold division. Then I also think Anders Eriksson’s Sparky’s Dream (V75-5) is an exciting horse.
Two bangers to maybe build the system around for the players?
However, Malla herself can kindly follow the competitions from the sidelines and watch while others chase the jackpot coins.
– As I am the competition leader, I am not allowed to play, he concludes.
2023-11-10 17:09:54
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