Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran trainer Colin Joss, a much-admired horseman and trainer of the legendary champion pacer Satinover, was in bed in at the Peel hospital on Friday night when a new arrival at his Ravenswood stable Tasha Spartan made a successful debut at Gloucester Park.
His wife Pauline deputised as the five-year-old gelding’s trainer when Ryan Warwick drove him to victory as a $19.10 chance in the 2130m HTA Access Solutions Pace.
Joss awoke on Friday morning feeling unwell and was taken to hospital where he was found to be suffering from pneumonia.
The 75-year-old Joss, the renowned trainer of the brilliant Satinover, who was a star in the late 1970s and early 1980s, during which time he won 19 races in succession, trained the outstanding pacer Palimar and he also enjoyed considerable successes with The Die Is Cast, Village Steel, Level One, Courage Tells and many others.
He has reduced his involvement in harness racing in recent years, and Tashs Spartan is currently the only pacer under his care. Joss has had only five starters this season, including Good Day Sunshine, who was his previous winner before Friday night when she won at a Tuesday meeting at Gloucester Park on April 18, 2023.
This season and in the five previous seasons Joss has trained seven winners while enjoying a semi-retirement from harness racing.
The New South Wales-bred Tashs Spartan is owned by Pauline Joss in partnership with stable client Craig Bradshaw. He was having his second start in Western Australia on Friday night, following his first-up fourth as a $61 outsider behind Master Leighton at Bunbury three Tuesdays ago.
Tashs Spartan began from the inside of the back line in Friday’s race when he raced three back on the pegs in fifth place while Major Overs ($6.50) was setting the pace from Major Freeway in the breeze.
Warwick cleverly eased Tashs Spartan off the pegs 600m from home and the gelding went four wide at the 250m mark before finishing stoutly to get to the front 115m from the post and then fighting on win by a head from $9.50 chance Seven No Trumps, who ran home strongly from the rear. Major Freeway, who had taken the lead 500m from home, was third.
Tashs Spartan is by former star pacer Tintin In America and is the fifth foal out of Roses For Tash, who earned $115,188 from 18 wins and 32 placings from 86 starts. The highlight of Roses For Tash’s career was her second to Second Dollar in the Group 1 New South Wales Sires Stakes for three-year-old fillies at Harold Park in June 2007.
Tashs Spartan now has raced 43 times for nine wins, 11 placings and $55,603.