He likes to win trotting races and after the brilliant performance last time, the biggest task of his career is now waiting around the corner. Mellby Knekt is ready for the last Sunday in May at Solvalla.
- He has developed incredibly and I was very impressed by how easily he ran a top time last time, mostly in second lane with saved energy. With eight consecutive wins, Mellby Knekt will be a great joker in Elitloppet, says Elitloppet manager Anders Malmrot.
His racing career began with a win and since then the six-year-old gelding has become a familiar sight in the winner's circle. Mellby Knekt has won twelve of his eighteen starts so far, often as the favorite on the V75 coupon. He has won two STL finals and his biggest triumph came on Boxing Day at Solvalla when he won the Silver Division final.
In the last start at Solvalla he offered an incomparable performance. Despite a race all the way to the outside of the leader, he crossed the finish line in 1.09,6 over 1640 meters autostart - with strength left according to driver Magnus A Djuse, who then showered praise on the horse. It was the eighth straight victory for Mellby Knekt.
During Saturday's broadcast of V75 Direkt on TV4, Solvalla's Elitloppet manager Anders Malmrot announced that Mellby Knekt has been invited to Elitloppet 2025 and thus Solvalla trainer Timo Nurmos has the chance to take his first Elitlopp victory.
- I like the horse very much, he has both strength and great speed. It's extra fun that he is after Mellby Viking with whom we have won Harper Hanover's race. Mellby Knekt will run really fast and I am very much looking forward to start in Elitloppet, says Timo Nurmos.
The pink ticket also means that half of the starting field is now ready - eight out of sixteen horses are invited to this year's edition.
Facts Mellby Knekt
Age: 6 years
Sex: Gelding
Father: Mellby Viking
Mother: Dont Wear PJS
Starts/Results: 18 (12-2-0)
Earned: SEK 1 556 500
Record: 1.09,6 autostart (1640 meters)
Owner: Mellby Gård AB
Coach: Timo Nurmos
Attendant: Selma Lindberg
Breeder: Mellby Gård AB
Nationality: Swedish
Elitloppet is the main attraction during the Elitlopp weekend, which will be held at Solvalla in Stockholm on May 23-25, 2025. Elitloppet is an invitational race where 16 horses compete in two different trials with eight horses in each. The top four in each trial will meet in a final where the winner will receive five million SEK.
Invited horses for Elitloppet 2025: Go On Boy (France), Logan Park (Canada), Borups Victory (Sweden), The Locomotive (Australia), Francesco Zet (Sweden), Etonnant (France), A Fair Day (Sweden), Mellby Knekt (Sweden)
