V86® (Jackpot): Ready to win after the positive return?
Tingsryd Racetrack is hosting Summer Trot with V86.
In this Wednesday's gold division, Hell Bent For Am makes his second start back after having finished second in his return, two weeks ago.
"He was incredibly pleased with himself last time out and we are going to Tingsryd with some hopes" says trainer Sabine Kagebrant.
Hell Bent For Am made a few starts as a two-year-old in the United States before he was shipped to Sweden, going into his three-year-old campaign.
The victory in the Three-Year-Old Elite and the Breeders Course final at the Elitlopp Day back in 2020 came from the position outside the leader for Stefan Melander.
After that successful season on Swedish soil, he will always be known as the horse who was a star when he was young.
"Hell Bent has so much talent and of course, we dream about him establishing himself in the older elite as well. At the same time, we have to take one start at a time and see that he gets going and still wants to race" says Sabine Kagebrant.
Kagebrant is the Vice President of Stall Courant, but she is also a professional trainer at Solvalla since the beginning of the year. So far, she only trains two horses.
Hell Bent For Am is her favorite and she first met him when she was helping Stefan Melander. When the horse had OCD surgery and needed some time off to recover, she took over the care of the horse.
He was race ready for some time, but when the cold weather came last fall, the connections decided to wait until spring to race him.
"This year, he caught a cold and then he had some problems with pollen allergy. So, his seasonal debut came a bit later than planned. On the contrary, it was a very good return and he might have benefitted from that extra time. There are plenty of races for him to race in this summer " says the trainer.
Not tired in his return
The second-place finish in Lindesberg two weeks ago was a very good effort.
Click Bait was in the mix for Elitloppet but didn't get invited and Stefan Melander's trotter won Bergslagsloppet very easily from the lead, driven by Per Lennartsson.
Behind him, Hell Bent For Am got a perfect pocket trip and looked very good. He trotted 1:11.5 over 1,640 meters was close to his lifetime best and he was far from tired.
His driver Mats E Djuse pulled the pocket down the stretch and pulled the earplugs.
"That horse hasn't had pullouts many times and Mats wanted to try to see what happened. Hell Bent was very good and was very pleased with himself. He did not have to go all out and it was a pleasant experience for both the horse and us" says Sabine Kagebrant.
"Hell Bent is lightning fast behind the gate"
The race this Wednesday (V86-4) is a leg of the gold division. Tingsryds Kommuns Rekordlopp over 1,609 meters. That means one lap around Sweden's only mile track.
Daniel Wäjersten's 6 Gooner is the likely favorite. 3 Hell Bent For Am gets Erik Adielsson in the sulky this time and from an attractive post behind the gate he should get a good trip in his second start since April last year.
"The tactics are up to Erik. Maybe he will just send him out of the gate? I haven't really studied the race and how quick the others are. We know our horse is very quick" says the trainer.
It sounds like you have some hopes of winning?
"I always have big hopes for Hell Bent. We hope we can be in the mix now when we are traveling so far to race. He has trained his usual intervals at home and I have to say he feels great. He races the way he is used to as far as shoeing goes, then we will see what we do about the bridle if he will race open as he did in his last start or if we go back to the blind bridle he used to race with before" says Sabine Kagebrant.
How is Joviality doing, after finishing second in the Four-year-old elite for mares on the Elitlopp Sunday behind the outstanding Jazzy Perrine?
"Jazzy Perrine was the horse of the weekend, so there wasn't much we could do from that post. So, my hat's off to her. We were very happy with Joviality. She trotted just over 1:09 the last 700 meters and finished second. If all is well, she will be entered to Prix Diana Zet at Solvalla on June 21".