There was no-one at Gloucester Park on Friday night more excited than star teenage reinsman Liam Elliott who drove a perfect race to score an easy victory with Mister Piccolo in the 1730m Black Irish Pace.
He was delighted that Mister Piccolo gave his mother Jane Steer her first success as a trainer in a metropolitan-class event.
Mister Piccolo, the $4.30 second fancy, began speedily from barrier six before 19-year-old Elliott angled the seven-year-old WA-bred gelding across to enjoy an ideal sit in the one-out, one-back position before dashing forward to hit the front on the home turn on his way to winning by 10m from the fast-finishing Jingling Jewels ($31), with the $3.60 favourite Grevis charging home from well back to finish third.
This was Mister Piccolo’s first win for eleven months and ended a losing sequence of 14. The son of American sire Betterthancheddar is owned by Steer, her partner Wade Hunter and her younger son Kody, and he has proved an outstanding buy.
Jane Steer (40) has had a trainer’s licence since 2019, and she has enjoyed great success with Mister Piccolo and Ya Bettor Followme, pacers she said she had been fortunate enough to purchase from the stables of veteran trainer Colin Brown, without spending a single dollar and with the agreement that she pay the former owners the first stake from those horse’s first victories.
Quite remarkably, Ya Bettor Followme and Mister Piccolo each won at their first start for their new trainer. Ya Bettor Followme was a $21 chance when he won at Kellerberrin on October 1, 2022, earning first prizemoney of $3178.
Mister Piccolo was a $12 chance when he won at his first start for Ms Steer, earning $4993 when successful at Narrogin on May 20, 2023.
Ya Bettor Followme has raced 67 times for Ms Steer for ten wins, 18 placings and $76,911, with Mister Piccolo’s 52 starts for his new stable producing nine wins, 14 placings and $72,456. They have been outstanding for Ms Steer, who generally has two pacers in work while she also works full-time as a lending officer for the Bendigo Bank, alternating between the bank’s offices in Toodyay and Northam.
Mister Piccolo is the second foal out of the unraced Sutter Hanover mare Imogen, a half-sister to eleven winners of 91 races, including Soho Jackman, who raced 123 times for 32 wins, 33 placings and $368,278 in prizemoney. Imogen’s first foal is Tumblin Dice, who has had 89 starts for ten wins, 22 placings and $88,011 in stakes.
Ms Steer is continuing a long family tradition in harness racing. She is the daughter of former Narrogin trainer Les Steer and is the granddaughter of former prominent standardbred breeder Bill Steer.
