Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Nine-year-old trotter Posseidon has been an unruly performer for most of his career which has been seriously marred by his habit of breaking in his races.
But veteran trainer John Ellis is now quite happy that he spent $1000 a couple of years ago to buy the temperamental square gaiter.
Ellis was at his wit’s end trying to cure Posseidon of his bad habits, and finally sent him to trainer Tracy Reay to be prepared at her Pinjarra property. Remarkably, Posseidon has been on his best behaviour for Reay and has won at his first three starts for her after resuming following an eight-month absence.
Posseidon has been handled by champion reinsman Gary Hall Jnr at his past three outings for easy wins, the latest being in the TABtouch Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night when the old gelding was the $3.10 favourite from the No. 1 barrier.
Posseidon was smartest into stride and was untroubled to set the pace and win by just under a length from $9.50 chance Chumani, who trailed the leader all the way. Line The Starzzz ($4.60) was four lengths farther back in third place after enjoying the ideal one-out, one-back position.
The South Australian-bred Posseidon raced 13 times in Victoria for two wins and three placings. He broke in eight of those 13 starts. Then he came to WA and was prepared by Matt Scott, who won three times from 20 starts for the stable when he broke in seven of those races.
It was then, on a whim and being well aware of the gelding’s potential, that Ellis was able to buy the horse for a mere thousand dollars.
“Posseidon had hoof abscesses when I got him,” said Ellis. “I treated him and had him for 18 months when I was able to give him three starts last year. He broke in all three of those races, including a second placing at Pinjarra when he went into a pace for about three strides before he got back into stride.
“I just couldn’t get him going and I decided to send him to Tracy’s to be trained. I knew that John Jelf (Tracy’s partner) had always wanted Posseidon, but I had already put my hand up for him when he was on the market.”
Posseidon is a bit sore all the time,” said Jelf. “He is sore in the back and his front feet get bruised. He races with pads under his shoes and Tracy does a lot of work on him, including constant massages.”
Friday night’s win helped to relieve the angst of Reay’s loss of her smart trotter Birthday Suit, who suffered an attack of colic and died last Thursday. Birthday Suit raced 22 times for Reay last year for two wins, two seconds, three thirds, a fourth and a sixth.
Posseidon, who showed early promise when second in the Group 1 Breeders Crown in Melbourne in March 2017, is at last repaying Ellis for his belief In the gelding, with his first six starts for him producing three wins and a second for stakes of $23,381.
He is by American sire Fling It and is the 13TH foal out of Maori Acacia, whose older half-brother Noopy Kiosk was a star trotter who won the Victoria Trotters Derby at Moonee Valley in June 1996 and was retired with a record of 103 starts for 34 wins, 121 placings and $320,999 in prizemoney.