Locarno off on Tuesday

Press, 27 December 1980, Page 15

Locarno off on Tuesday

By

G. K. YULE

Locarno will leave Christchurch next Tuesday on the first leg of a trip which will involve him in a major summer and autumn campaign in Australia. He will travel first to Cambridge where next Friday be will race jn a mobile mile. He will travel on to Sydney from Auckland on January 6 and race in $lO,OOO events on January 9 and 13, to be followed on January 16 by the $40,000 Australia Day Cup at Harold Park. Locarno will be accompanied to Sydney by Wes Butt, who will drive him in his first three starts at Harold Park. His trainer, Robin Butt, who has heavy commitments with his own team in the next few

weeks, will drive the son of Local Light at Cambridge and will travel to Sydney to drive him in the Miracle Mile on January 30, a race he won last season. Then he will travel on to Melbourne for the $lOO,OOO A. G. Hunter Cup and other races, and later will contest the Inter-Do-rn ini o n Championship series in Hobart. “He’s got a dozen races in Australia with stakes totalling about $480,000,” said Robin Butt. “He went to,-well over there last season that it seems the small tracks and the warmer weather suits him.” Butt went on to say that he feels Locarno is stronger now than he was last season ,when he won about $70,000 on his campaign in Sydney.