Shannonsablast-ing to Queensland

Darren Elder and Shannonsablast set to enjoy a trip to Queensland

Louth Park trainer Darren Elder is looking forward to going to Queensland this weekend with his best pacer Shannonsablast.  Not only is the horseman relishing the chance to compete in the Four and Five Year Old Championships at Albion Park but he also needs the break after a tough 2015.

Elder was one of a number of trainers hit by the Hunter Valley flood earlier this year and while the water receded more than two months ago it has been a slow recovery.

“I’m looking forward to getting away from it to be honest, there was a lot of work to be done at home and it is slowly drying out but there is still a lot to do,” Elder said.

“Every weekend I’m working on getting the place back to the condition it was in before the flood hit, we had to get a bobcat and backhoe in to fix the drains and while I only had a 400 metre jog track I had to make sure there was no metal left that could hurt the horses.”

While Elder had always planned to head to Queensland with Shannonsablast there have been times throughout his current campaign where he questioned whether the five year old gelding was going well enough to make the trip.

“His first run back was over the 2300 metres and I just wonder whether that took it out of him because he did have a pretty tough trip and then second up I didn’t produce one of my best drives.

“He started to improve at his third run back and it was great to see him find his old form when he won a heat of the Rising Stars at Menangle on Breeders Challenge day.”

The victory at Tabcorp Park Menangle was Elder’s first since the flood.

“I think the flood had some effect too, he had to swim across a section of my property and had to be stabled elsewhere until my place was ready for him to return.

“If he ran well this weekend then I would definitely consider hanging around for the Blacks A Fake, I know it would be a big step up for him but he loves to sit on the speed so I think that it would really suit him.”

Shannonsablast was defeated on Saturday night when a short priced favourite.

“I’ve always said he is not a great leader and the winner ran 1:56.0 over the 2300 metres so I wasn’t too concerned by the performance, I thought it was quite good.

“I’ve taken some horses to Queensland before for some big races, I think he’s going well enough to be competitive and deserves his chance up there.”    

Harness Racing NSW (HRNSW) is the controlling body for harness racing in New South Wales with responsibility for commercial and regulatory management of the industry including 31 racing clubs across the State.  HRNSW is headed by an industry-appointed Board of Directors and is independent of Government.