Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Veteran trainer Terry Ferguson freely admits that he never had the slightest desire to own or train a square gaiter. But a strange quirk of fate has resulted in him owning and training four trotters.
One of them Line The Starzzz was successful in the $20,250 The Nullarbor Slot Race In April 2023 Trot at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Gary Hall Jnr drove the six-year-old to an all-the-way victory to take the mare’s record to 28 starts for nine wins, nine seconds and one third from 28 starts for earnings of $60,572.
The 73-year-old Ferguson has been a successful trainer and reinsman for many years, with one of his best pacers being Backina Falcon, who twice won six in a row in a 73-start career of 19 wins, 15 placings and $149,385. The highlight of Backina Falcon’s career was his second to Baltic Eagle in the WA Pacing Cup in January 2003.
“I bought Backina Falcon’s mother Walkin The Line as a three-year-old pacer and she produced seven winners, including Life On The Line, who turned out to be a trotter,” said Ferguson. “So, I sent her east where she raced in Victoria (for three wins, at Bendigo, Maryborough and Kilmore in 2008-09).
“I then bred from Life On the Line, who has produced two pacers (Paint The Wind and Art On The Line) and two trotters (Lifes Delight and Line The Starzzz).”
Paint The Wind raced 109 times for 12 wins, 23 placings and $70,505, and Art On the Line had only one start for an eighth placing at Narrogin in October 2016. Lifes Delight has raced 67 times for seven wins, 22 placings and stakes of $78,176.
Ferguson explained Line The Starzzz’s comparatively restricted career of 28 starts, saying: “She has had issues with wind galls and therefore I have had to race her conservatively. Her record is good, and it’s a matter of keeping her sound. She works on the beach at Busselton, jogging on the soft sand.”
Ferguson said that he had been busy recently, burning the midnight oil. “Between training nine horses and running a restaurant in the main street in Busselton with my partner Mildred Malazarte, it’s been interesting,” he said.
“I had an earth moving business for 25 years before retiring, and running a restaurant is another challenge.”
Line The Starzzz gave Hall his fourth winner on Friday night when she started at $3.60 and excelled in her frontrunning role in winning by a half-length from the $1.50 favourite Patched, who battled on gamely after racing without cover over the final 1500m.