Louth Park horseman Darren Elder remembers growing up in the Hunter Valley he would sit and watch the Inter City Pace every year and dream of having a runner in the region’s feature race. The Inter City Pace is still run and while Elder still harbours a desire for success in that event, the 47-year old has turned his attention to Australasian harness racing’s ‘holy grail’, the Inter Dominion with stable star Shannonsablast.
The chances of Shannonsablast fighting his way inside the top 30 ranked pacers for the upcoming Western Australian Inter Dominion seemed unlikely a week ago. Precariously ranked at number 31, Elder made the brave decision to book Shannonsablast on a flight to Perth and with the plane set to depart Melbourne last Sunday, the pair made the long trip by road from Maitland to Victoria.
During the trip south, Elder received a call from the Inter Dominion organisers informing him that Shannonsablast had moved up the order of entry from 31 to 30 with a higher ranked horse being removed from the series which therefore assured the seven-year old gelding a start in the rich series.
“There was no doubt I was hoping to get some good news that we had got into the series but it still came as a bit of a shock to be told that we were now in the Inter Dominion,” Elder said.
“The Inter Dominion was something that I would watch on television but never considered that I would have a horse good enough to compete in such a series, it is very exciting for myself and my family.”
Shannonsablast was one of 27 pacers on Sunday’s flight that will compete in Perth during the Inter Dominion carnival and Elder was extremely pleased with how the horse handled the trip.
“As a rule he is a very good traveller, he spends a lot of time in a float down the highway from Maitland to Sydney and while this was something new for him it didn’t worry him at all.
“He has eaten up since he has arrived, I worked him this morning (Monday) and he seems very happy in his new surrounds.”
Elder has based himself at Byford, a short trip from Perth and is happy with the facilities.
“It is better than home, they tell me it is about 35 minutes from Gloucester Park, Suzy from RWWA put me in contact with a trainer over here called Michael Robinson
“He has a few horses in work but plenty of room so I’m going to be stabled with him, it is perfect, there is a sand track, inside that there is a fast work track and you also have access to the Byford track plus there is a swimming pool too, we won’t want to go home.”
Shannonsablast has not raced since competing in the Queensland Pacing Championship last month and Elder is hoping to trial him to ensure he is as fit as he can be.
“I’m going to have a chat to the people in charge over here about where I can trial, there was some talk of a trial at Gloucester Park later this week but if not they have the Byford trials on next weekend, so I’ll make sure he is up to the mark.”
Elder is yet to confirm a driver for Shannonsablast in the Inter Dominion heats and is considering taking the reins himself.
“There is some talk Tim Tetrick won’t arrive for the first round of heats, he has driven him to victory at Menangle before but I don’t think he is a possibility.
“Todd McCarthy has driven him a lot but it will be a big ask of him to fly across just for the one drive when he would be giving up so many good drives at Menangle at the Friday and Saturday meetings, I did speak to him about it before I left so he is in the mix and the other option is me.”
While Elder is away in Perth, his son Brad will continue to look after the horses at home.
“Brad does most of the work with the horses anyway, Chris Bourke is there giving him a hand too so I know the team at home is in good hands.
“My wife Nicole is Shannonsablast’s biggest fan, she wouldn’t miss him racing in the Inter Dominion and will join me over here in WA closer to the start of the series.”
Shannonsablast was previously trained by Peter Bullock and it was at the insistence of Nicole that Elder got the opportunity to train him.
“I knew of Peter when he trained at Tamworth and when he went to Bathurst to train for Peter and Marie Neil we would chat occasionally and he asked me one day if I’d be interested in taking a few horses that would be better suited at Newcastle.
“Nicole had been watching Peter’s horses a bit because of the friendship we had struck up and she kept telling me to ask Peter about Shannonsablast because he would be a good horse at Newcastle for us but I told her we’ll wait and see what was offered to us.”
When Elder was asked by Bullock whether he would be interested in taking Shannonsablast he did not hesitate.
“Because Nicole had been so keen to get him as soon as his name was mentioned I said that I would take him, I think he had something like six or seven starts before I got him.
“He ran six or seven seconds in a row for me before he finally broke through and he has now won fifteen races and $190,000.”
There have been some tough times for Elder and Shannonsablast. The trainer was forced to evacuate his property during this year’s Hunter Valley floods and this left his house and stables only accessible by boat for more than a week. When the water initially rose, Elder was forced to swim all of his horses across a small channel to safety.
“We weren’t expecting to be in too much trouble with the water but it came up really fast and with the help of some neighbours we were able to get the horses out.
“I took one of my other horses into the water first because I wanted to make sure it was safe for Shannonsablast, once the first one made it to safety I got Shannonsablast across quick smart.”
Elder understands he is shooting for the stars by taking on some of the best pacers in Australia but is happy to go into battle with a reliable and tough animal.
“He might not be the best one in the series but he is the best to me and the family.
“He is going to give us one great ride over the next month, I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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