by Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
There’ll be a reunion of sorts when Korbyn Newman and Mighty Looee team up in tonight’s feature pace at Addington.
The talented junior driver hasn’t been in the sulky with the horse on race day since June 2021 but he knows the Sweet Lou six-year-old better than most.
“I drive the horse just about every day,” says Newman, who works for the premiership-leading Dunn team at Woodend.
Mighty Looee will be one of four Robert and Jenna Dunn-trained runners in the Hydroflow Plumbing Solutions Handicap Pace (8.49pm), along with Heisenberg, Sam’s Town and Henry Hubert.
“On paper I’m certainly one of the better ones,” says Newman.
Newman’s recently returned to race day driving after wrist surgery.
“It was an old rugby injury, there was a bit of dead bone in there.”
Now he’s “healed up” and feeling good.
He reunites with Mighty Looee at a time when he’s been in great form since returning from a stint in Australia, with three wins from six starts this year.
Newman gets his chance with regular driver John Dunn opting for Heisenberg.
Newman’s driven Mighty Looee in three of his 12 career victories, the most recent being at Addington in May 2021.
“He also gave me my first Group 1 drive at the Jewels.”
That was the 4YO Emerald at Cambridge in 2021 won by South Coast Arden.
Tonight’s race features just nine horses, but there are three joint favourites at $5 (Heisenberg, Beach Ball, and Laver) with Mighty Looee at $7.
Beach Ball’s chances will be determined at the start, according to driver John Morrison.
“It’s his first stand and he’s drawn one …. I don’t care if I’m first out or last out I just want to go away.”
“It looks a tidy and even field.”
Morrison is in for a steady night’s work with six drives.
“It’s an even book of drives but I do like Georgie Zhukov.”
The Ben Waldron-trained pacer lines up in race 4 against the likes of Mo’unga and Blue Rock Dancer.
The night’s feature trot looks set to give super trotter Muscle Mountain win number 25. He is off 30m in the Group 3 Lamb and Hayward Trotters Classic but has been backed into $1.25. The race is set to go at 7.53pm.
