Star Australian trotter The Locomotive has a horror barrier in the toughest heat to qualify for the prestigious Elitlopp in Stockholm
Sydney Inter Dominion champion The Locomotive is ready for one of the biggest challenges in harness racing.
The Goulburn-based star will have to overcome a horror barrier draw and some of the best trotters in the world to create history in Sweden on Sunday.
The Locomotive will start second from the outside (gate seven) in the second of two heats of the world's best trotting race, the iconic Elitlopp at the Solvalla track in Stockholm.
His trainer-driver Brad Hewitt is clear on the enormity of the challenge.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
'We knew it was always going to be hard, but now he's drawn so wide, it's going to take something incredible from him to qualify for the final,' he said.
The Locomotive is the fifth Australian and ninth Australasian trotter to contest the Elitlopp. No Aussie has made the final and the only Kiwi to do so was former champion mare Pride Of Petite when fourth in a heat and sixth in the 1997 final.
Most recently, champion Aussie Just Believe loomed as a top four chance on the final bend before striking trouble, galloping and losing all chance in 2023. He later stamped his class with two Group 1 placings in Sweden.
The Locomotive will need a top four finish in his heat to qualify for the final run three hours later. He is a $71 shot in the heat.
It's the stronger of the two heats as well with boom trotter Borups Victory $2.80 equal favourite ahead of two former Elitlopp winners, Don Fanucci Zet ($2.80) and Hohneck ($4.50).
The statistics underline how cruel the draw is for The Locomotive, who has won 23 of 25 starts when he has led and just one of 17 when he hasn't been in front.
Loving the videos 🎥 pic.twitter.com/T4uD9FXsEn
â€' Glenn Holland (@Glenn_B_Holland) May 8, 2025
• 'What else am I going to do?' My Last Hooray no last hurrah for Cleary
'I'm going to be back last, I can't possibly push forward from right out there,' Hewitt said.
'What I will say is, he works well off a sit at home and I haven't had the chance to drive him that way yet. When he hasn't led for me, he's been outside the leader and he won't be there this time.
'I'm hoping he can show all that trademark speed of his at the finish, if we switch him off early and try to weave through them.'
Hewitt draws hope from how well The Locomotive has settled in and worked over the past week.
'I don't think I could have him better. It's all come together in time and he's primed. He had that terrific work at Solvalla last week and then I couldn't have been happier with his last serious hit out on Monday,' he said.
'I've got a lot of faith in the horse, but he's never faced a field like this and he's going to need everything to go right.
'At least there's no pressure now. If we could somehow be the first (Aussie) to make the final, it would be amazing.'
The Locomotive's heat will be shown on Sky Racing at 11.55pm Sunday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
Champion pacer Leap To Fame to switch to standing-start racing at Albion Park on Saturday night
Champion pacer Leap To Fame will take a surprise step right outside his comfort zone at Albion Park on Saturday night. For just the second time in more than four years and 65 race starts, Leap To Fame will switch from mobile start to standing-start racing. His only other standing-start race was on June 8 last year when Leap To Fame came off a 20m handicap to emphatically win the Flashing Red Discretionary at Albion Park over 2647m. The six-year-old's task will be even harder this week off the maximum 30m handicap and the race being over the shorter 2138m trip. Despite Leap To Fame winning first-up from a break at Albion Park last Saturday night, his trainer-driver Grant Dixon was moved to back him up quickly. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'It was a bit hard to assess things on such a wet track, but I felt he should have won a bit easier,' he said. 'Trista I felt he could do with another two races before the Inter Dominion starts and that meant we really had to back him up this week. 'There was also the option of a mobile sprint race, but there are a few reasons we opted for the stand. 'He will get more conditioning from a race like this stand, especially over 2138m. Big surprise in the fields for this Saturday night- Jun 7 Leap To Fame will start in Race 6- a standing start handicap over 2138m. From 30m ðŸ'€ ðŸ'€ — The Creek (@TheCreekAlbion) June 2, 2025 'And we are thinking about taking him to the NZ Cup later in the year, which is a standing start and this could be one of the last suitable opportunities we get to show him the (standing start) tapes and see how he handles it. 'The Flashing Red and Redcliffe Cups are coming, but he'll get 30m in both of those. The Flashing Red will be a lot stronger than this week's race and Redcliffe isn't really a suitable race for him.' In Awe. LEAP TO FAME with one of his best ever tonight in The Race by @betcha_nz. He eyeballed his most recent foe, Don Hugo then put him, and the rest, to the sword to once again prove who's boss in the pacing world ðŸ'° — RaceQ (@RaceQLD) April 4, 2025 Dixon said racing again this week meant Leap To Fame could return to mobile start racing for his final lead-up race on June 21. 'Then he'll have had the three weeks and get a two-week gap before the first round of (Inter Dominion) heats (July 5),' Dixon said. Dixon felt Leap To Fame, who won narrowly but impressively first-up at Albion Park last Saturday night, needed more racing before the Inter Dominion starts on July 5. Leap To Fame makes it career win 51 and 34 at The Creek to take out The Somerset Farms Avonnova Open defeating Wisper A Secret — The Creek (@TheCreekAlbion) May 31, 2025 'I thought he should've won a bit easier and that he'd need two more runs, not just one, before the heats. 'That really meant we had to back-up this week and it made more sense on a few levels to go to this (standing start) race rather than a 1660m mobile. This will be a better conditioning run. 'It means he can run this week, have two weeks to his third run back and then another two weeks before the first round of heats.' THE CHAMP GOES BACK-TO-BACK! Another successful raid by the Queenslanders Grant Dixon and Leap To Fame, who secure a second-straight victory in the Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup! — The Trots (@TheTrotsComAu) February 8, 2025 Less than an hour after Leap To Fame steps out, his major Brisbane Inter Dominion rival Don Hugo will return from a let-up in the seventh race at Menangle on Saturday night. Don Hugo upset Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile on March 8, but the latter turned the tables with a powerhouse win when they last met in the $1 million Race by betcha at Cambridge on April 4. They have clashed three times and Leap To Fame leads 2-1. @ClubMenangle — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 8, 2025
Daily Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Daily Telegraph
Shayne O'Cass' tips, inside mail for Goulburn, Casino on Friday, May 30, 2025
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Form analyst Adam Sherry provides his best bets, value selection and analysis of the quaddie legs for Goulburn and Casino on Friday. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! GOULBURN BEST BET Race 8 No. 3: ORTHIE'S BOYS Runner-up here at only visit and has recent solid provincial form. NEXT BEST Race 7 No. 3: BOMBELLEISTIC Excelled in a very strong Class 1 at Scone on Cup Day. VALUE BET Race 4 No. 6: ROUGE HOMME Lightly-raced. natural/raw talent, in good hands here at the track. QUADDIE Race 5: 1, 5, 8, 11 Race 6: 2, 3, 4 Race 7: 2, 3 Race 8: 3 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW JAY FORD has ridden 133 of his 1,408 career winners at Goulburn. Jay Ford can add to his solid record at Goulburn. Picture: Bradley Photos CASINO BEST BET Race 3 No. 9: MERAPI Could not be better placed at her second run for an astute new yard. NEXT BEST Race 2 No. 4: HOMELAND Placed four from 10. Reliable and drawn well this time. VALUE BET Race 6 No. 10: LOVE RAT Big run first-up in a much superior Benchmark 58 to what this is. INSIDE MAIL - GOULBURN RACE 5: GOULBURN POST MAIDEN HANDICAP 1500m SHE REX (1) is trained by Ciaron Maher who also trains her very close relation, Pride Of Jenni. She Rex might end up being a good investment on her $240,000 Inglis Classic Sale outlay in 2023. So far, she has placed at five of her six starts; she has been terribly costly, but in much better races than this. Zero excuses. HIDDEN MOGUL (11) doesn't know how to run a bad race. She could potentially make this favourite earn the win. Bet: She Rex to win, exacta 1 to beat 11 RACE 6: ABERNETHY GORE SOLICITORS COUNTRY BOOSTED BENCHMARK 58 HANDICAP 1500m LETHAL LADY (2) was so unlucky it wasn't fair at Wagga during the carnival. Fast forward to her last start and she was third at the Sapphire Coast when coming from a long way back as usual. That's not easy to do there. Easier here though. Luke Pepper is flying himself but he's also got HELL OF A FOX (3) on a hat-trick. In fact, she should be going for four straight since she got down to Canberra. Bet: Lethal Lady to win, quinella 2, 3, Daily Double 1st leg 2, 2nd leg 3 RACE 7: HIBERNIAN HOTEL BENCHMARK 58 HANDICAP 1600m BOMBELLEISTIC (3) is the fourth foal of his dam; all of her foals are housed by Team Joseph/Jones who bred the lot of them. As this for one, he has a win and two seconds from eight starts but you could argue that nothing he has done has contained as much merit as his fifth in very strong Class 1 at Scone on Cup Day. CHEBICI (2) is on a hat-trick. Easy to like with the good alley and Coriah Keatings doing the right thing by her all the time. Bet: Bombelleistic to win, box trifecta 2, 3, 5, 9 RACE 8: CAMPBELL PETROLEUM DISTRIBUTORS BENCHMARK 58 HANDICAP 1200m ORTHIE'S BOYS (3) has been with Richard Collett for the last three of his five career starts. Those were; a barnstorming second here, another 'from last' fourth at Gosford then a fading on-pace fifth at Kembla. Maybe he didn't see out the 1400m but we're back to 1200m in weaker grade today. For what it is worth, I think COUGARS (1) is a pretty handy horse and sure, they've all got to carry big weights here, but he's got the biggest and 62kg is a big number. Bet: Orthie's Boy to win INSIDE MAIL - CASINO RACE 6: BACK TO THE ROYAL COUNTRY BOOSTED BENCHMARK 58 SHOWCASE HANDICAP 1200m LOVE RAT (10) is a get back and run on type, perhaps better suited at Grafton but here we are at Casino. The son of Love Conquers All has a troubling second-up record but if you can overlook that and the wide draw, he is in this with as a good a chance as any and better than most. AYE AYE SKIPPER (1) is in fabulous form, and has been for a while too, but this is as bad a draw as the horse has been dealt in all that time. Bet: Love Rat each-way RACE 7: CASINO FOOD CO-OP CASINO FLYING 1000m DIS IS HEAVEN (5) is '3213' heading into the Casino Flying. They were all good quality affairs too, but none were any harder than his May 7 assignment at Warwick Farm when and where Colt Prosser's gelding was an honourable third. Stablemate and MNC Championships Qualifier placegetter BJORN IRONSIDE (4) has raced once at 1000m; that was the day he carried 62kg at Taree when he won by two lengths. Bet: Dis Is Heaven to win, quinella 4, 5, box trifecta 1, 3, 4, 5, DD 1st Leg 5, 2nd Leg 5 RACE 8: CASINO RSM CLUB BEEF WEEK CUP 1400m SECRET PLAN (1) is a Queenslander, via Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. The Bob Peters-bred galloper has been with Tony and Maddysen Sears for the last three runs, the most recent of them was a third at Eagle Farm. On-pace type with a manageable weight now after Jett Newman's claim. COLLAY'S SPIRIT (4) could very well tally up his 10th career win, third-up. Note that Luke Rolls is one win and two placings on the horse. The best CENOTES (6) is better than a lot of these. Bet: Secret Plan to win RACE 9: WAL'S CONCRETING CLASS 3 SHOWCASE HANDICAP 1400m MONTE MAXIMUS (5) probably deserves a bit more credit for his last handful of runs than would normally be afforded to a horse with a '7295' lead in. All in all, 1400m is in the right range for the Noel Mayfield-Smith-trained son of Invader and he gets a little bit of weight off on what he has been carrying lately. Former Godolphin galloper STYLISED (1) is ready to produce now that he is out to 1400m. The more scratchings the better in view of that wide alley. Bet: Monte Maximus each-way
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- News.com.au
Shayne O'Cass' tips, inside mail for Goulburn, Casino on Friday, May 30, 2025
Form analyst Adam Sherry provides his best bets, value selection and analysis of the quaddie legs for Goulburn and Casino on Friday. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. GOULBURN BEST BET Race 8 No. 3: ORTHIE'S BOYS Runner-up here at only visit and has recent solid provincial form. NEXT BEST Race 7 No. 3: BOMBELLEISTIC Excelled in a very strong Class 1 at Scone on Cup Day. VALUE BET Race 4 No. 6: ROUGE HOMME Lightly-raced. natural/raw talent, in good hands here at the track. QUADDIE Race 5: 1, 5, 8, 11 Race 6: 2, 3, 4 Race 7: 2, 3 Race 8: 3 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW JAY FORD has ridden 133 of his 1,408 career winners at Goulburn. CASINO BEST BET Race 3 No. 9: MERAPI Could not be better placed at her second run for an astute new yard. NEXT BEST Race 2 No. 4: HOMELAND Placed four from 10. Reliable and drawn well this time. VALUE BET Race 6 No. 10: LOVE RAT Big run first-up in a much superior Benchmark 58 to what this is. INSIDE MAIL - GOULBURN RACE 5: GOULBURN POST MAIDEN HANDICAP 1500m SHE REX (1) is trained by Ciaron Maher who also trains her very close relation, Pride Of Jenni. She Rex might end up being a good investment on her $240,000 Inglis Classic Sale outlay in 2023. So far, she has placed at five of her six starts; she has been terribly costly, but in much better races than this. Zero excuses. HIDDEN MOGUL (11) doesn't know how to run a bad race. She could potentially make this favourite earn the win. LETHAL LADY (2) was so unlucky it wasn't fair at Wagga during the carnival. Fast forward to her last start and she was third at the Sapphire Coast when coming from a long way back as usual. That's not easy to do there. Easier here though. Luke Pepper is flying himself but he's also got HELL OF A FOX (3) on a hat-trick. In fact, she should be going for four straight since she got down to Canberra. BOMBELLEISTIC (3) is the fourth foal of his dam; all of her foals are housed by Team Joseph/Jones who bred the lot of them. As this for one, he has a win and two seconds from eight starts but you could argue that nothing he has done has contained as much merit as his fifth in very strong Class 1 at Scone on Cup Day. CHEBICI (2) is on a hat-trick. Easy to like with the good alley and Coriah Keatings doing the right thing by her all the time. Bet: Bombelleistic to win, box trifecta 2, 3, 5, 9 ORTHIE'S BOYS (3) has been with Richard Collett for the last three of his five career starts. Those were; a barnstorming second here, another 'from last' fourth at Gosford then a fading on-pace fifth at Kembla. Maybe he didn't see out the 1400m but we're back to 1200m in weaker grade today. For what it is worth, I think COUGARS (1) is a pretty handy horse and sure, they've all got to carry big weights here, but he's got the biggest and 62kg is a big number. Bet: Orthie's Boy to win INSIDE MAIL - CASINO LOVE RAT (10) is a get back and run on type, perhaps better suited at Grafton but here we are at Casino. The son of Love Conquers All has a troubling second-up record but if you can overlook that and the wide draw, he is in this with as a good a chance as any and better than most. AYE AYE SKIPPER (1) is in fabulous form, and has been for a while too, but this is as bad a draw as the horse has been dealt in all that time. Bet: Love Rat each-way DIS IS HEAVEN (5) is '3213' heading into the Casino Flying. They were all good quality affairs too, but none were any harder than his May 7 assignment at Warwick Farm when and where Colt Prosser's gelding was an honourable third. Stablemate and MNC Championships Qualifier placegetter BJORN IRONSIDE (4) has raced once at 1000m; that was the day he carried 62kg at Taree when he won by two lengths. Bet: Dis Is Heaven to win, quinella 4, 5, box trifecta 1, 3, 4, 5, DD 1st Leg 5, 2nd Leg 5 SECRET PLAN (1) is a Queenslander, via Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. The Bob Peters-bred galloper has been with Tony and Maddysen Sears for the last three runs, the most recent of them was a third at Eagle Farm. On-pace type with a manageable weight now after Jett Newman's claim. COLLAY'S SPIRIT (4) could very well tally up his 10th career win, third-up. Note that Luke Rolls is one win and two placings on the horse. The best CENOTES (6) is better than a lot of these. MONTE MAXIMUS (5) probably deserves a bit more credit for his last handful of runs than would normally be afforded to a horse with a '7295' lead in. All in all, 1400m is in the right range for the Noel Mayfield-Smith-trained son of Invader and he gets a little bit of weight off on what he has been carrying lately. Former Godolphin galloper STYLISED (1) is ready to produce now that he is out to 1400m. The more scratchings the better in view of that wide alley.
