By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk
The man with the most harness racing of names makes a race day comeback at Rangiora on Tuesday.
Steve Trotter will drive his own trotter Hoffn It at Rangiora in Race 1, the Cavalier Trotting Products – North Canterbury Trotting Trot (12.07pm).
It will be his first drive since the 2014 season.
“It’s been a while hasn’t it?” the West Melton-based trainer-driver agrees. Trotter is very much a hobby trainer who mixes training with his day job as a builder and helping out at Graham Court’s Harcourt Lodge.
His first, and so far only win, as a trainer-driver was with Orse M Jogmar at Nelson in 2009. The horse paid $72 to win that day, and it ended up being her only win in 72 career starts.
Getting Hoofn It to the races hasn’t been easy.
Trotter bred the horse (Ohoka Arizona – Orse M Tin Lis) and first went to the trials in February 2022, missing out on the qualifying time “by two tenths of a second.”
“And then I took him onto the track at home and he wouldn’t move,” says Trotter, “I didn’t know what was wrong with him .. he just wouldn’t move.”
“I spent hours and hours with him on the long reins.”
And then in October last year they qualified at Ashburton and then in January this year he showed some promise by finishing second to Portelli at the trials.
“And I see that horse got second and third at Blenheim so that got me a bit excited.”
Those two placings were at Waterlea Raceway on January 19 and 21.
Hoofn It will make his debut as an eight-year-old. It’s been a long haul even getting him to the races and Trotter is hopeful all the effort will be worthwhile.
“I’d love for him to get away and if he could run a place…”
At last look he was paying $8 and $2.80 on the fixed odds.
As for a Trotter training trotters?
“I get that a lot,” he says, “it’s a bit of a laugh though isn’t it?”
