It’s been a big night for Australia’s best trotting and pacing talent.
Leap To Fame, Don Hugo and The Locomotive were all among those in winning form last night as they count down to the $650,000 TAB Trot and the $1m The Race by betcha at Cambridge’s Night of Champions on Friday, April 4.
A $3.30 third favourite for the TAB Trot, The Locomotive has also been confirmed as heading to Sweden to take on the iconic Elitlopp in May.
The Locomotive full steam ahead to Sweden
By Adam Hamilton
Star Aussie trotter The Locomotive’s New Zealand raid just got even more interesting.
The reigning Inter Dominion winner will springboard from the $650,000 TAB Trot at Cambridge on April 4 to take on the world’s best trotters in Sweden.
Like Just Believe two years ago, The Locomotive will tackle the iconic Elitlopp at Stockholm’s Solvalla track on May 25.
The Locomotive will be the fourth Aussie-trained trotter to contest the Elitlopp, following Just Believe, Maori Time (2018) and Sundons Gift (2009).
Including Kiwi trotters, only the great mare Pride Of Petite has been able to qualify for the Elitlopp final, run on the same day as the heats. She ran fourth in a heat and sixth in the 1997 final.
Solvalla officials broke the news of The Locomotive’s trip overnight.
His very excited trainer-driver Brad Hewitt said: “We’re confident he’s the right sort of horse with the class and speed for a race like the Elitlopp.
“As long as he travels well, settles in and has some luck with barrier draws, he can make and be very competitive in the final.
“It will be good to get over almost six weeks before the race to have plenty of time to settle in.”
Hewitt explained how spending time with Swedish superstar Bjorn Goop at last month’s Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Challenge in Brisbane played an integral role in him and owner Glenn Holland chasing an Elitlopp berth.
“We’d been thinking about the Elitlopp, but we really warmed to the idea after having a long talk with Bjorn Goop when he was in Brisbane last month,” he said. “We’ve kept in touch since and his positivity has been a big factor in taking on the challenge.
“Like everyone here, we watched with great interest when Just Believe went over a couple of years ago and was so competitive in a couple of big races.
“Glenn (Holland, owner) and I are hugely thankful for the faith and support Solvalla have shown in us and The Locomotive and we hope to become the first Australian-trained trotter to make an Elitlopp final. We’re sure he won’t be just making up the numbers.”
After his latest win at Menangle last night (Saturday), The Locomotive will be on a flight from Sydney to Auckland with Don Hugo and Leap To Fame next Sunday. The Locomotive posted a scorching 1min52.1sec mile when he cruised to a 12.9m victory.
The Elitlopp bid means The Locomotive won’t defend his Inter Dominion title at Albion Park in July.
“It’s not possible to do both, so we’ll leave him in Sweden for a couple months and a few other major races after the Elitlopp to make the most of the trip,” Holland said.
“I said to Brad when the invite came from Solvalla, we simply have to do it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Im Ready Jet and Arcee Phoenix also continued the fairytale night for Cambridge officials when they won last night. Any doubts of Andy Gath’s mare Im Ready Jet making the trip to Cambridge were quashed when she toyed with her rivals in the Group 1 Sumthingaboutmaori Mares’ Trotting free-for-all.
It was her second win from as many starts this campaign.
It was Im Ready Jet’s third win in the Group 1 race in the past four years and took her career earnings past $750,000.
Arcee Phoenix looked back to his best when he worked to the front, dictated terms and dashed away to easily win the Scotch Notch Memorial at Melton.
Aussie trotter to start NZ campaign at Cambridge this Friday
By Adam Hamilton
Emerging Queensland trotter Not As Promised will kick-start the Aussie raid on Cambridge when he steps out in Friday night’s $60,000 Group 2 Waikato Trotters’ Flying Mile.
The 2023 Australian 3YO Trotter of the Year was scratched from Albion Park last night so he can fly from Sydney to Auckland today (Sunday).
“We’re deliberately going early so he can have a look at the track and have more time to settle in,” trainer Graham Dwyer said.
“He didn’t travel as well as we hoped when he took him to Christchurch at the end of 2023, but settled better with time, so we’ve got that in mind.”
Not As Promised missed all of 2024 with injury, but has returned in terrific style with six wins and a second from eight starts this season.
“We’re really happy with him,” Dwyer said. “I’m sure he’s come better, but whether that’s good enough to win a race like this (TAB Trot) is something we’ll just have to find out.
“We were keen to give it a go and it’s great to have a slot.”
Regular driver Nathan Dawson, Australia’s premier driver in 2023, will make the trip across.
“Nathan will drive him this week, then have some time in the South Island, before coming back for the big one,” Dwyer said.
The pacing bred Not As Promised has raced just 24 times for 15 wins, six placings and banked $181,320.
His major wins came at three in the Group 1 Victoria Trotters’ Derby and Breeders Crown double.
Not As Promised then ran a huge fourth in the NZ Trotting Derby won by Sunnys Sister after enduring a torrid run.
The gelding continues to race in the trust and memory of his late owner Tony Veivers, who lost a long battle with bowel cancer late last year.
Leap to Fame and Don Hugo have dominant wins before flying to NZ
By Adam Hamilton
Aussie pacing stars Leap To Fame and Don Hugo both looked fantastic last night winning their final lead-up races for the $1mil Race by betcha at Cambridge.
Don Hugo was first out, working his way to the lead and winning as he liked in a 1min49.3sec free-for-all mile.
The Miracle Mile winner scorched his last quarter in 25.9sec.
Leap To Fame was asked to do a lot more and delivered, smashing the Albion Park 1660m track record with a 1min48.6sec mile rate and runaway 23m win.
It took 0.5sec off Duke Of Scotland’s track record.
Leap To Fame looked awesome.
Interestingly, he time was almost as quick as he went in the Miracle Mile when second to Don Hugo and there’s no doubt Menangle is a considerably bigger and faster track than Albion Park.
Leap To Fame will head to Sydney by road later this week and join Don Hugo on the same flight next Sunday.
