V75/jackpot: "Click Bait was very good in his last start"
Two visits to Värmland this year have resulted in two victories. On Saturday it could be time again.
Stefan Melander's lightning fast Click Bait is a hot win candidate on V75 where Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp is the feature.
Årjängs Stora Sprinterlopp. A well established, classic race during the Swedish summer. It has been raced since the early 1950s and it has seen several star trotters win over the decades. As the picturesque racetrack in Årjäng is hosting V75 on Saturday, their biggest race day of the year, SEK 500,000 awaits the winner.
Was not in super form in Elitloppet
A trainer who has experience in winning 'Årjängs Stora' is Stefan Melander. He won the race two years in a row with Igor Brick, 2000-2001 and in 2016 the race was one of many stops on Nuncio's big victory tour. Stefan is also the reigning champion with Milligan's School, who also was entered but didn't get in this year.
Instead, all expectations are on five-year-old Click Bait (V75-7) who seems to like racing in Värmland.
"Click Bait feels good, I was happy with him in his last start. He had a fever a month or so before Elitloppet when he was supposed to have raced in Finlandia-Ajo and that took his form down a bit going into Elitloppet and even if he raced OK there, he wasn't in super form. But in his last start at Färjesatd he was very good and Per Lennartsson who drove said that too and that he wasn't all out either" says Stefan Melander.
Beat Don Fanucci Zet at Färjestad
Click Bait comes off the win in Färjestads Jubileumslopp at the beginning of July, where he won easily on the front end. Earlier this spring at the same track he was impressive when he won Prins Carl Philips Jubileumspokal in 1:09.8 over 1,640 meters – before a certain Don Fanucci Zet who later went on to win Elitloppet. That Click Bait is lightning fast out of the gate is a well known fact, so the conditions on Saturday are perfect.
"In his last start he had post position one behind the gate which can be tougher to leave from, but Click usually takes care of that too. Now we have a very good post and that's probably the best one we could have, right behind the car, that usually helps a bit. It looks very interesting and I think Gocciadoro's horse (Vernissage Grif) is the toughest opponent, but we will see".
But the lead is not a must for Click Bait?
"No, he races well from behind too. He closed well from behind in Östersund and that was on the middle distance. I insist that so far he is better on 1,640 meters so the conditions are very fitting for him on Saturday".
Stefan 'Tarzan' Melander has two more starters on V75 this Saturday. Digital Class (V75-3) who goes out in a leg of the Silver division, has no wins in her last five starts but there is nothing wrong with the mare's form.
"Digital Class is in super form. She is very good right now. She raced well in her last start when she ran into a lot of traffic trouble. This is a tough race, Rotate who I have trained before, is probably better and it could be tough for Digital Class to win. But she is in good form like I said and the long distance is no disadvantage".
In Diamantstoet the stable is represented by Iceland Radio (V75-6). The five-year-old mare is still winless this year but she is due for a win soon.
"Yes, she is on the right way. But to start with a 20 meter handicap here might be tough. If she gets a good trip she could end up in the top group. I think she has to sit along the pylons here, she likes to save her speed".