Five years ago, Shelbourne trainer Larry Eastman declared an exciting juvenile pacer named Atlanta Georgia was the best horse he had worked with.
Eastman started the horse just five times, qualifying the son of Million To One for the Australian Pacing Gold Final before sending him to Western Australia in search of feature race glory.
“He was paid up for The Pearl, so he went across to Perth with my stable foreman Cameron Edwards,” Eastman recalled. “Neither of them came back,” he lamented.
Atlanta Georgia won his first three starts in WA before a close second in The $85,000 Pearl Final.
He subsequently carved a fruitful three and four-year-old career on the other side of the Nullarbor before being struck by a health problem.
“He was tried by a number of different trainers without success. Apparently he had a condition similar to laryngitis which affected his breathing,” Eastman explained.
“In the end he was sent to the paddock for a long spell in the hope that nature would fix it.”
Atlanta Georgia last raced at Gloucester Park five months ago and has not won since saluting at Fremantle on December 5, 2003.
He was pre-trained by Edwards in WA, prior to arriving at Eastman’s Central Victorian base around a month ago.
The now seven-year-old takes his first step on the comeback trail in Sunday night’s $30,000 Group 3 Wimmera Mail Times Horsham Pacing Cup where he is one of five backmarkers on the 10-metre line.
“He’s fine now and feels just like the horse I remember. I’m sure the motor is still there,” Eastman said today.
“He’s come back a C11, M6 so he’s on a tough mark and his racing opportunities are going to be limited.
“But the Horsham Cup looks ideal. Even though it’s a big ask to expect a horse to race first up in that grade over 2700-metres without a trial, he’s got a fair bit of work under him and I’m expecting him to run a good race,” Eastman said.
“I’ve got Chris Alford in the sulky so he’ll be able to give us a good assessment of the horse after the race. It’s going to be very interesting.”
Eastman will have three runners at Sunday’s Horsham meeting, including former pin-up mare Ally Luvzit who debuts for his stable in the Les Jones Memorial Pace.
“There’s a touch of irony there too, because she was coming to me originally but after having a drive on her I suggested to the Make A Noise Syndicate that they send her to Merv Dillon,” Eastman recalled.
“She’s a C10, M2 but I’m actually quite happy with her work at home as well,” he said.