Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Trainer of the Month
for August 2007

Steve Elliott

Detroit, Michigan native Steve Elliott, 53, has been training horses for over 30 years, and has re-emerged as one of the East Coast's top conditioners in the last few seasons.

Steve Elliott

His stable roster from over the years reads like a Whos Who of harness racing and includes: Donato Hanover, Southwind Tempo, Artistic Fella, Burning Point, Even Odds and the great trotting stallion Valley Victory to name just a few.

The Englishtown, New Jersey resident got his start with his cousin Dave Elliott, and first made a name for himself in the harness racing industry when he won the 1987 Woodrow Wilson with Even Odds.

In 1988, Elliott was named the US Harness Writers’ Association Trainer of the Year, for the unprecedented feat of campaigning three divisional champions: Valley Victory, Sweet Reflection and Totally Ruthless.

That same year his Valley Victory, was named 2-year-Old Trotter of the Year and went on to be one of the top trotting sires in the sport. Valley Victory was expected to take on the filly Peace Corps in the 1989 Hambletonian but was scratched and retired because of a virus.

DonatoFriendsWC

Donato Hanover's winning connections

At 22.9% Elliott--trainer of 2007 standouts in their respective divisions, Donato Hanover and Southwind Tempo---is the all-time leading percentage trainer in Meadowlands history.

“I think she’s (Southwind Tempo) going to be another Burning Point. She doesn’t know the end of the mile. She’s very talented, doesn’t wear a boot, has tactical speed and she’s still green. [Owner-trainer-driver] Toby Lynch has done a hell of a job with her. It was a real compliment to ask me to train her. We met while I was shoeing horses at Lexington, then he just called me later out of the blue.”

Donato Hanover has won 12 of 13 career races for owners David Scharf, Golden Touch Stables and Steven Arnold. This year he is perfect in four starts for $295,000 and has earned $957,587 overall, coming into the Hambletonian. He was named 2006 2-Year-old Trotting Colt of the Year.

Elliott's many accomplishments include winning the 2006 Meadowlands Pace with Artistic Fella in 1:48.4.

"I'm trying to absorb this all, it's special, really special. I think we were all a little nervous, you know when you're the favorite, they're going to take shots at you. I was nervous (when they got) at the tote board, I was just hoping he could win it. My heart was pounding," Elliott said afterward.

Artistic Fella had an exceptional season in 2006. A $13,500 yearling buy, he reeled off 10 wins in a row at the Meadowlands, and his stakes record in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace was one of three straight miles in 1:48.4.

“Artistic Fella is super,” Elliott said. “He’s really good, and it’s hard to believe, but he got bigger and stronger."

                                Burning Point & George Brennan

Elliott's top mare Burning Point was named the 2006 Older Pacing Mare of the Year; it was her second divisional championship; she first won in 2003 as a sophomore.   She was on the board in 25 of 28 starts in 2006 and led her division with $782,415. Her credentials included her second straight win in the Lady Liberty at the Meadowlands and a victory in the Roses Are Red at Mohawk. She notched her second Breeders Crown with a career best, and stakes record-equaling, 1:49.2 on July 29, 2006 at the Meadowlands.

“Burning Point was good all year long in 2006, but she’s never really been as effective in the cold weather,” Elliott said. “Her game starts coming around in June. She was as strong at the beginning as she was at the end of last year. She raced 28 times and at the level she races there are no real easy miles.

“She was at her best in the Breeders Crown when she was able to get away from them and swell up,” he continued. “She’s more of a grinder, not a sprinter. If you grab into her, jam them up and let them at her wheel, she can’t out-sprint them. But if you get her rolling she can go as fast as anybody. You might think the two-hole trip is her game, but I think she’s actually better on the front end, as long as you can give a her a quarter rest somewhere in the mile.”

Burning Point’s lifetime earnings of $2,727,509 rank her fourth among pacing mares behind all-time leader Eternal Camnation, Bunny Lake and Loyal Opposition. She’s owned by the Cuzzins Stable of Delray Beach, Florida [actual cousins Shelby Novick, a clothing manufacturer, and Kenneth Solomon, a jewelry store owner]. She was an $85,000 private purchase in 2003. Elliott took over the training of Burning Point from Kevin and Linda Wallis following her 2003 season.

“Even though I had a great season in 2006, I think 1988 was actually better,” Elliott said. “The stable made more money then and I had three divisional champions. More importantly for me, 2006 was fun again, plus I had the company horse, Donato Hanover. When you go without top horses for a while you really appreciate what this game is about. They put the fun back in it.

“Everybody thinks it’s the money and it’s definitely not,” he continued. “It’s all about racing against the best and being very competitive with them. It’s like being any other athlete; you thrive for the competition. It’s a lot easier when you have nice horses as well, and you have to love the horses because this isn’t a job, it’s a lifestyle. I was also going through a divorce a few years ago and it messed me up for awhile. I got over it and it seemed the harder I worked, the luckier I got.”

Steve Elliott's Training Statistics Through August 2, 2007
Year    Starts/Wins/2nds/3rds   Earnings         UTRS
2007      277   49      31      26      $1,836,757      0.270
2006      304   68      30      41      $3,006,689      0.323
2005      367   52      44      48      $1,665,027      0.252
2004      295   37      34      33      $1,113,381      0.227
2003      199   37      29      27      $764,031         0.312
2002      226   30      38      31      $761,432        0.272
2001      141    26      24      23      $820,667        0.333
2000      88    10      14      14      $699,593        0.255
1999      208    18      36      21      $425,260        0.216
1998      121   11      20      10      $218,527        0.210
1997      17      3       4        1     $77,393           0.327
1993      236   42      39      29      $399,229        0.311
1992      219   41      29      20      $524,933        0.291
1991      226    36      26      26      $749,938         0.261
Total      460                                 $13,062,857