Brilliant juvenile Loucasso will launch a campaign aimed at the world’s richest harness race when he returns to racing at Melton on Friday night.
The $2.1mil TAB Eureka is still 10 months away, but managing owner Jamie Durnberger-Smith of Summit Bloodstock said everything was based around trying to win it with Loucasso.
“Not just him, but all the good youngsters we have,” he said. “When we go to the yearling sales, we buy horses to and win the TAB Eureka, that’s the race everyone wants to win now.”
Loucasso is in the right stable with trainers Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin having won two of the three TAB Eurekas run so far with Encipher in 2023 and Bay Of Biscay this year.
“We deliberately bypassed the NSW Breeders Challenge a few months back with this horse to take our time and not push him too hard this season,” Durnberger-Smith said.
“He’s had a really good break and the Breeders Crown is a good way to finish the season before we aim towards the NSW Derby in March and then it’s full steam ahead to the TAB Eureka.”
Loucasso boasts five wins from seven starts and hasn’t raced since winning Australia’s richest juvenile race, the $500,000 Protostar at Albion Park on July 12.
It was his second feature win of the season after capturing the Australian Gold Graduate 2YO final at Melton on May 24.
“You can see how lightly raced he’s been and that’s all with a view to next season,” Durnberger-Smith said.
“Clayton (Tonkin) said he’s ready to go this week and if you’ve watched his trial you’d see why we’re all so excited about him. He’s just got electric speed. Clayton thinks he’s a star. He loves him.”
Loucasso will be a commanding favourite despite having to overcome an outside front row draw (gate seven) in his Breeders Crown heat.
Owing to a surprising shortage of runners, there is only one qualifying heat so the same field will line-up eight days later for the $100,000 final.
Loucasso is the headline act of five runners across the Breeders Crown heats for Summit Bloodstock.
Not far behind him is last-start Group 1 Vicbred final winner Beach Diamond in the second of the three-year-old fillies’ heats.
“She meets Soho Americano again, who she beat in the Vicbred final, but they’ve enjoyed a terrific rivalry this season,” Durnberger-Smith said.
“Cam Hart turned the race around with his drive on our filly last time, but Soho Americano has a better draw than us again this time.”
The Mick Stanley-trained Soho Americano, winner of the Queensland and Victoria Oaks, looks a certain leader from gate one and Beach Diamond is drawn to trail her everywhere from inside the back row (gate eight).
“We’ve also got Captain Perfect in a three-year-old colts and geldings heat, although he’ll need luck being drawn outside some main dangers,” Durnberger-Smith said.
“Then there’s Degarnmea Teale and Millie One for us in the two heats for two-year-old fillies. Millie One is a work in progress and still has some filling out to do, but gee she’s got ability and we think she’ll be a Beach Diamond next season.”
