Those that have spent enough time in the harness racing industry surely know there are peaks and valleys over the course of one’s career. Owners, trainers and drivers all experience it. Horses definitely go through it. Heck, grooms and handicappers are along for the ride, as well.
Nobody is immune to the negative side of harness racing luck, no matter who they are. Horseman Tony O’Sullivan officially joined that club in 2019, as his stable simply couldn’t catch a break.
The veteran Ontario trainer recorded 35 wins last season, which was his lowest amount of victories since the 2004 campaign. It was the same story when it came to his pupils’ earnings – they collectively banked $553,466 in purses last year, which was also the lowest mark since 2004. The thing is, O’Sullivan sent 80 starters to post in 2004, as opposed to 241 in 2019. When it rains, it pours.
In speaking with the Hamilton Spectator, O’Sullivan described his stables’ 2019 campaign as “absolutely horrible,” and added that “in past years, I've had maybe half a dozen older horses win $100,000, so I maybe took it for granted."
Ellis Park, pictured sharp at the wire at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Now that 2019 is in the rear-view mirror, one horse that O’Sullivan isn’t taking for granted is Ellis Park, a brown son of Rocknroll Hanover that proved to be a beckon of hope in an otherwise lost calendar year.
“I can't tell you how much it meant to have him in the barn,” O’Sullivan said of Ellis Park, who hit the board in 11 of his 26 seasonal starts and banked $94,440. “When everything else seemed to be going wrong he could be counted on, and I can tell you he is as good today as he has ever been in his life."
O’Sullivan had initially planned to retire the gelding at the end of the 2019 season, but the trainer has told the Hamilton Spectator that the plan has changed.
“[That] plan is out the window now because he is just racing so well,” O’Sullivan said. “He has not won in that Preferred class yet, but I have every confidence he will. Every time that class is held it seems to be who is best on the night, and his turn is coming."
For more on the origin of Ellis Park’s name, and comments from his breeder/owner, click here.
(With files from the Hamilton Spectator)