The Locomotive sidelined again

FORMER Inter Dominion harness racing champion The Locomotive (Muscle Mass) won’t chase another title in Brisbane.

Trainer-driver Brad Hewitt revealed the brilliant trotter recently had knee surgery and would be sidelined until late this year.

“On one hand it’s frustrating it has taken so long to find out what’s been troubling him, but at least it ends months and months of guesswork,” he said.

“There was a fragment in his knee which required surgery. That’s been done and it’s recovery time.

“Hopefully he’ll be back racing by the end of the year.”

Hewitt said The Locomotive, who won the 2024 Sydney Inter Dominion, had frustrated he and owner Glenn Holland since he last raced at Menangle in November, last year.

It was his only race back in Australia after a trip to Sweden in the middle of last year.

“It had been on again and off again,” Hewitt said. “You’d get to a certain stage and he just wasn’t right.

“I wish we’d found it earlier and he’d have been right again for Brisbane, but at least we’ve worked it out now.”

The Locomotive has raced just 44 times for 25 wins, eight placings and banked $635,944.

by Adam Hamilton for Harness Racing Australia