Loucasso's brilliant return prompts a change a of plans

7 September 2026

ADAM HAMILTON

THE Victoria Derby has emerged as the next major target for Australia’s most exciting young pacer Loucasso.

The boom three-year-old returned from nine months out to post his eighth win from just 10 starts with a dazzling display at Menangle on Saturday night.

Despite being so long out, Loucasso’s scorching 1min49.5sec mile was just 0.5sec outside the great Leap To Fame’s Australasian record time by a three-year-old.

It cemented him as $2.50 prepost favourite for the world’s richest pacing race, the $1 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on November 21.

“I was looking at the Carousel series, but the owners are keen on the Victoria Derby,” new trainer-driver Seaton Grima said.

“It’ll make for a busy next couple of months, but I can understand them wanting to chase a race like that.

“Instead of racing next Saturday, I’ll look for something a week or so later.

“It’s now all about juggling his schedule between the NSW Breeders Challenge up here and a heat and final of the (Victoria) Derby.

“He’ll go to a heat of the Breeders Challenge in just over three weeks and straight from that down to Melton for the Derby heats (October 10).

“He’s then got the Deby final a week later and then it’s home for the semis and final of the NSW Breeders Challenge.

“He’ll have four runs in as many weeks and then it’s a three-week gap to the Eureka.”

That was Loucasso’s first start for Grima, who took over training the colt from Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin and then Luke McCarthy had him briefly.

“I’ve got to say that was as much relief as excitement, last night,” Grima said. “It’s a thrill and a privilege to get a horse this good to train, but he’s got such a great record, there’s lots of pressure and expectation that comes with it.

“To step out after nine months away from the track, an interrupted campaign, just one trial for me and go that fast shows how special he is.

“I didn’t go there to run time, but Alert Bay (second) is a nice horse and that’s what I had to run to beat him.

“The best part was how easily he did it. I never really had to ask him and he ran home in 53 flat and 25.9sec. He’s just so fast.

“It’s great to get that run into him and it showed he was even more forward than I thought to run that time. Most horses could never go that quick and he did it with lots of improvement to come.

“I’ve trained some nice horses and been in some big races, but this is the first headline horse I’ve trained and he can take places I’ve only dreamed of going as a young guy starting out.”’