Holly, Kyle Harper and Kaden Elliot after their win Photo by Photography by Jodie Hallows
Kaden Elliott has claimed his first training victory with Luck From Above taking out race six at Pinjarra on Monday, expertly driven by Kyle Harper.
The win was particularly special for the 25-year-old, who has had just six starters since gaining his trainer’s licence in recent months and currently has two horses in his stable.
“She was the last horse my pop bred before he passed away, which is where the name comes from,” Elliott explained.
“And she’s probably the first one I’d had an involvement in terms of the breeding side.”
Donning his late grandfather Garry Elliott’s black and gold colours, the triumph carried extra meaning.
“It was so good to see them get another win too,” he said.
Starting from barrier one in the 3YO fillies maiden event over 2185 metres, Harper settled Luck From Above behind the leader before making full use of the sprint lane in the concluding stages, scoring by a short-half-head over Ultimate Sass in a thrilling finish.
Despite the result, Elliott admitted confidence wasn’t high heading into Monday’s race.
“She’s been really hard to gauge. I mean, I was confident if she was to produce anything similar to her last Pinjarra run, but I just wasn’t too sure what she was going to produce.”
Encouraged by Maryann White, Elliott decided to take out his trainer’s licence this season. Alongside Luck From Above, he also leases Be Home Soon from Craig Hynam.
“My work roster gives me enough flexibility to manage working them between me and my partner, and instead of getting someone else to do it and cost ourselves, we thought we’d might as well just have a crack,” Elliott said.
“Plus a whole lot of push from Maryann White saying we should just give it a go.”
Elliott began race driving in 2022 and has five wins to his name but recently returned from an almost year-long hiatus following shoulder surgery.
“She’s just a very difficult horse to gear up and deal with, so it makes it easier for someone else to drive. Plus, it’s handy to get another opinion when having a few issues. Kyle Harper has helped quite a bit with his input with her.”
Looking ahead, Elliott is yet to lock in Luck From Above’s next start, originally eyeing another maiden event next week.
“I think she has a lot of learning to do with her racing manners, so there is definitely improvement to come.”
