Elish Star Finds His Stride
Elish Star takes out the last on Monday at Pinjarra. Photo Credit- Photography by Jodie Hallows
The pacer turned trotter Elish Star led from start to stop on Monday at the Paceway, bringing up the four-year-old’s second career win for trainer Karen Bennett.
Driven by Lauren Harper, the pacing bred gelding by the once locally stood stallion Follow The Stars has plenty of tricks up his sleeve during his preliminary, usually throwing in a few paces and a gallop or two, but is as professional as they come when it comes to race time.
Bennett went into Mondays race fairly confident that her runner could get the job done after his run the week earlier where he finished third after carrying a flat tyre throughout the race.
“He’s got a funny way of going, but he won’t gallop in the run. He drives Lauren crazy in the prelim though.”
Having just the four starts as a pacer, it was when he was with Bob Mellsop that Bennett was approached by his former trainer mentioning that he would make a trotter, with Bennett intrigued by the prospect, she struck a deal with owner/breeder Bob Fowler and just four starts into his campaign with the new stable, he broke through for his first win.
“Bob wanted to lease him out, but I only wanted him if I could buy him,”
“He had four starts as a pacer, but he just couldn’t run with them. He does things right but he’s a slow learner,”
“He’s the sort of horse that will just go through a new fence that’s been put up because he’s just a bit silly.”
Bennett has no plans on looking back, with trotters their passion, and although she doesn’t believe Elish Star is a worldbeater, she is confident that he can continue to earn and be competitive in the trotting racers.
“He’s not suited to the sprint type races, but he’s definitely a stayer, he just plods along. If they had two-mile races they would suit him perfectly.”
Karen Bennett plans to head back to Pinjarra next week for the mobile start trotters race over the 2185m.
Ashleigh Paikos