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Promising juvenile trotter The Locomotive has a lot to live up to on bloodlines.
He’s a son of champion racemare and broodmare La Coocaracha.
She is one of Australia’s all-time great squaregaiters, having won 23 races in the early 2000s and in the breeding barn, is the dam of 10 winners including champion mare Dance Craze.
The Locomotive has quickly shown he is ready to carry on the family name on the big stage.
The Muscle Mass two-year-old has won two of three starts and is already a Group 1 winner, having saluted in the Aldebaran Park Vicbred Platinum Home Grown Classic at Melton.
The Locomotive will attempt to double that tally in the inaugural Group 1 $50,000 Nutrien Equine Haras des Trotteurs 2YO Mixed Sex Trot Final (2300m) at Menangle on Saturday night.
Avenel trainer Wayne Potter, who also part-owns the colt, is “pretty confident” about The Locomotive’s chances.
Potter told TrotsLife on SEN Track that he had been a little disappointed with The Locomotive’s prelude run, but it had been his first race start since mid-May and his only official trial had been run in slow time.
“He’ll be better for the run,” he said.
The Locomotive found the lead in the prelude on August 16 and scored by a half-head over the 2300m trip.
Potter said while this would be a stepping stone to all the major races for the rest of the season, he would not be over-taxing The Locomotive as a two-year-old.
“There’s never any guarantees, but he’s very well bred and he’s a beautiful type of horse,” Potter said.
“He has a terrific attitude and beautiful gait.
“All the signs are he’ll get better with time.”
The Locomotive is one of four Victorian-trained runners in the eight-strong final, which is open to youngsters sold at the Nutrien Equine standardbred yearling sale held in Melbourne last year.
He is joined by first-starter Mipersonaljet (trained by Chris Svanosio), Vici Bloom (Michael Watt) and Stevie Gee (Alex Ashwood). All four were bred by Yabby Dam Farms.
