The Locomotive Photo by Brett Atkins
DON’T let his looks deceive you.
Former Inter Dominion champion The Locomotive makes his long-awaited racetrack return at Menangle on Saturday night.
But the rising six-year-old will look a bit different to when he last raced at Menangle for a win on March 22.
“He was over in Sweden so long, it’s taken his body a while to readjust and his coat isn’t quite right,” trainer-driver Brad Hewitt said.
“But it’s just an appearance thing. I’m really happy with how he’s come back. He’s working as well as ever at home.”
The Locomotive won the 2024 Inter Dominion final at Menangle before minor placings in the Great Southern Star and TAB Trot in Cambridge, NZ, early last year.
Connections then chased a dream and sent The Locomotive to Sweden for the world’s most iconic trotting race, the Elitlopp, on May 25.
The Locomotive drew poorly in his heat and was never likely to finish top four and qualify for the final. He ran sixth.
The plan was to stay in Sweden for a string of other feature races, but it was aborted after he ran way below his best when seventh in his only subsequent race at Boden, in Sweden’s north, on June 14.
“That run was too bad to be true, so we pulled the pin on the trip,” Hewitt said.
“It took a while to get him through quarantine and back home, but he had a good break and seems to come back where he left off here."
Hewitt has given The Locomotive two trials in preparation for his return.
He should be far too classy for his rivals this week.
“The plan is to get a few runs into him up here then head to Victoria for that series of big trotting races with the bonus,” Hewitt said.
“We know the opposition will be harder with Keayang Zahara emerging and after what Gus did in NZ recently.”
The first of the big Victoria targets is the Group 1 Maori Mile at Bendigo on January 10.
A $500,000 is on offer for any trotter who can win four of the six feature races, but that must include the $250,000 Group 1 Great Southern Star on February 14.
The Locomotive clocked a scorching 1min51.6sec winning his Elitlopp heat earlier this year then ran second to upset winner Watts Up Partytime in the final on the same night.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Brett Atkins
