Ken Casellas | Photo: Pacepix
Yarloop trainer-reinsman Shane Steele leads a busy life working as a plumber for his family’s business in Pinjarra, but he still finds time to enjoy the excitement of driving in races and riding at exhilarating speed in motocross events.
He gave a polished display in the sulky to guide experienced mare Stormyskyes to victory in the $26,000 Your One Stop Is At Garrard’s Horse And Hound Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night. And after that he switched his attention to competing in motocross events in Busselton on Sunday.
“Once Stormyskyes drew barrier one I was confident she would win,” said Steele. His judgment proved correct, with Stormyskyes, a $7.40 chance, setting a solid pace and winning by a length from $4.40 chance American Arma, rating 1.58.7 over the 2130m, with final quarters of 286sec. and 28.2sec.
Stormyskyes has been an honest and consistent performer for Steele, his mother Jerime and father Jeff, and she now boasts a record of 91 starts for eleven wins, 23 placings and $108,818.
His parents travelled to Queensland for a holiday in 2009, including attending the Interdominion championship on the Gold Coast where they watched American stallion Mr Feelgood win the final, beating Blacks A Fake, who had won the championship in the three previous years.
“I was impressed with Mr Feelgood, particularly his toughness,” said Jeff Steele.
A few years later Shane was keen gain a licence to drive in pacing races, and his father purchased the Modern Art mare Dreamy Eyes in 2014 to give his son a pacer to handle in trials and gain his licence to drive in races.
It was in April 2015 that Shane had possibly his first drive in a race when he drove Dreamy Eyes in a race at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park. Dreamy Eyes enjoyed a perfect passage in the one-out, one-back position before she got to the front 50 metres from the post and finished a half-length second to Lombo Air Express.
Dreamy Eyes was then ready to retire, and Jeff was determined to get her in foal to Mr Feelgood. “So, at a function at the Byford track I purchased at auction a service to Mr Feelgood and Stormyeyes is the result,” he said.
“And Stormyeyes is tough, just like her sire.” Dreamy Eyes had only one more foal before she died — Me Flash, who is now a four-year-old and has had 30 starts for five wins, eight placings and stakes of $35,876.
Shane is a regular competitor in the annual Desert Race in Kalgoorlie every year, an event which attracts a field of 200 riders every October with the participants racing over a 135km circuit across open salt lakes and dusty woodland trails. His best effort was finishing eighth a couple of years ago, and he is also enjoying watching his eight-year-old son Reed competing in junior motocross events.