V75® (Tuesday): "He's in the form of his life – so incredibly happy"
Per Lennartsson usually says that driving this horse is like driving a car.
At age eight, Click Bait is better than ever – and after his impressive victory in his most recent start, Hugo Åbergs Memorial is up next for the catapult starter.
"He has found another gear and is in the form of his life. He's a wonderful horse who is incredibly happy and loves his life, such a cool guy, trainer Stefan Melander.
The annual Åbergs night is right around the corner, coming up Tuesday night at Jägersro. The sprint elite will square off in the one-mile race with SEK 1,609,000 to the winner. Shortly after 9 PM as the sun sets, the starting gate will release the trotters in the "Elitlopp of the summer" and it looks like it could be a true speed fest.
The speculations have started about who will take the lead and one of the hot candidates is Click Bait. He comes off a win in the gold division at Årjäng – when he closed impressively to win from behind, for a change.
"5 Click Bait (V75-6) is in the form of his life, and somehow he managed to find another gear at age eight. That's not very common, but the horse has been and is very happy and loves his life. He feels incredible right now," says Stefan "Tarzan" Melander.
"We have a big field in the center of our track where he runs back and forth from morning to evening. When we train the other horses at 1:30 kilometer rate, he trots next to them. That way, he moves a lot each day and trains himself. But that's just in the summer when the weather is nice and warm. In the winter, he slows down and stands right by the gate, waiting to come into the barn".
"You could say that he is just like me, we love the summer and hate the winter. He doesn't like it when it's cold and I don't think he's ever won a race in December. He's such a cool guy," says Melander.
Has only made one break – in 92 career starts
Click Bait has made SEK 7.5 million and won 20 out of 92 career starts, equaling a winning percentage of 22. When it comes to showing percentage, it is even more impressive, as it is 60. What is also remarkable is that the horse has only made a break once – in 92 starts. It happened two years ago at Romme when Ulf Ohlsson drove. In the remaining 91 starts, he hasn't made a single miscue.
"I don't know what actually happened when he made that break. I guess he got a bit overambitious, but he's a fantastic horse to drive. Per has said that driving him is like driving a car and he's extremely fast out of the gate too. He is incredibly quick after 100 meters," says "Tarzan".
"Could work out great – if not, he has to do it from behind"
The start of Hugo Åbergs Memorial will likely be very fast. Starting from the inside post is Vivid Wise As, counting out from him are Borups Victory, Hail Mary, Hustle Rain, Click Bait, and Don Fanucci Zet from the six inside post positions.
"You don't just have to leave fast; you have to leave incredibly fast to get to the lead here. He has an explosive gate speed and if he gets to the lead, it could work out great. If not, he has to do it from behind, because I don't think this race will be won by a horse who gets parked".
"Regardless, it will be a fun race to watch and speculate about, since the draw turned out the way it did. A nice race for all trotting fans and it will be exciting to see Click Bait in the form he's in now," says Stefan Melander.
Has a TV room with six screens
The Solvalla trainer is a member of the Swedish Hall of Fame and has a lot of big wins throughout his career. He was crowned Trainer of the Year in 1998, 2001, and 2012. But he has never won Hugo Åbergs Memorial.
"I haven't raced in it that many times. The last time I was in it was two years ago when Click Bait was locked in, climbing over horses. I hope he has more luck this year, then it could be exciting".
Will you be at Jägersro on Tuesday evening?
"No, I rarely go to the races anymore. I have designed a TV room with six screens so I don't miss anything. I watch a lot of races from the U.S. in the middle of the night and it almost feels like I'm right there at the track, in my TV room".