by Thomas Hedlund

Tuesday’s (July 30) $320,000 Hugo Åbergs Memorial at Jägersro racetrack in Malmö had all the ingredients needed to become a great race for the older elite trotters in Europe and the race met those high expectations.

Vivid Wise As went off-stride, surprisingly, when the car left the strong 10-horse field and that changed some of the drivers’ tactics. Click Bait, sold to European owners in Alessandro Gocciadoro’s stable the day before the race, opened quickly and grabbed the lead from Hail Mary in the first turn. Hail Mary attacked leader Click Bait in a furious speed attack after the first quarter, but Click Bait’s driver Per Lennartsson was determined to let his horse try the front position in his last race for owner and trainer Stefan Melander.

The pace was high throughout the race and on the backstretch, favorites Don Fanucci Zet and Borups Victory (Googoo Gaagaa) sat in third and fourth over, respectively.

Don Fanucci Zet had to leave three wide before the last turn and Borups Victory got his perfect cover trip. But, to be honest, the attacking horses far outside had several lengths to make up on leader Click Bait, and pocket-trip trotter Get A Wish, who found room between horses 100 meters before the wire.

Click Bait was heroic in front, but he was marked by the high pace and Don Fanucci Zet couldn’t defend himself when Daniel Wäjersten attacked fourth wide with Borups Victory and the Mats Sundin owned 6-year-old had the best speed as the wire approached.

In a tight finish where Click Bait and Get A Wish battled, Borups Victory proved to be fastest and the success for Wäjersten’s horse was total.

Borups Victory, runner up in Elitloppet in May and winner in the Kymi GP in June, has definitely developed to become one of the best trotters in Europe as he won the Hugo Åbergs Memorial in 1:51.

Johan Untersteiner’s Get A Wish was second and Click Bait third in this very worth seeing edition of the Hugo Åbergs Memorial.

In Tuesday’s (July 30) $100,000 Breeders Course final for 3-year-old fillies at Jägersro, Mattias Djuse-trained Olivia Bros (Muscle Mass) impressed for driver Björn Goop. Olivia Bros left position in second over on the backstretch and connected on leader Kilimanjaro Face’s outside just before the last turn. 

Leader Kilimanjaro Face held strongly and fought well when Olivia Bros was asked for more power at the top of the stretch. A tight finish ended with a win for Olivia Bros and Djuse’s trotter came home in 1:53.4, which must be considered an impressive time for a 3-year-old in Sweden, and in Europe.

Face Time Bourbon had his chances to be the winning sire in the two Breeders Course finals and in the $100,000 race for colts and geldings, high quality bred Far Wise As (Face Time Bourbon) showed great capacity. Jerry Riordan trains this half-brother to Vivid Wise As and according to driver Untersteiner, Riordan had high hopes for this horse early into the training season last year. “He’s a hell of a horse,” Riordan said to Untersteiner who is also the regular driver behind the talented 3-year-old.

In Tuesday’s final Far Wise As could control the race from the lead and when the favorites went off-stride, the road to victory became very safe. Far Wise As sprinted home in a very pleasant style and won in 1:56.1.

ALWAYS EK BEST IN TARANTO

Alessandro Gocciadoro’s Always Ek (Filipp Roc) overtook the lead 300 meters into Sunday’s (July 28) $165,000 Gran Premio Due Mari in Taranto, Italy and by then, the race was basically over. 

Always Ek outshone his opponents as he won in 1:53.4.

Gocciadoro also collected the trophy in the $42,500 Gran Premio Citta’ di Taranto. His weapon was 4-year-old Wishing Stone son Eolo Jet, who won in 1:54.3.

BAZIRE HITS 4,000 WINS

French dominant Jean-Michel Bazire reached a great milestone on Saturday (July 27) at Enghien, when he steered his Jushua Tree to victory in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Enghien. The win meant that Bazire reached 4,000 victories as a trainer. Among his many big wins are three triumphs in the Prix d’Amérique (Kesaco Phedo, Belina Josselyn and Hooker Berry).