Liam Elliott with his mum Jane Steer and veteran pacer Toto Picasso at Byford trials. Pic credit: Rick Lee
Teenage trainee reinsman Liam Elliott has the bloodlines to be a successful harness driver.
He is the seventh member of the Elliott clan to take up the reins – following in the footsteps of his great grandfather Eric, his grandfather Tom, his dad Syd, his great uncle Garry and cousins Boof and Kaden.
His mum Jane Steer is also from a powerful WA harness family. Her grandfather Bill Steer ran a highly successful breeding operation in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
He often had up to 50 or 60 horses at his Muchea property.
He became the first studmaster to import an American stallion into WA when he bought the highly influential Silk Byrd in the 1950s.
Silk Byrd sired more than 80 winners but was even more successful as a broodmare sire.
His daughters left 150 winners of more than $1.2 million – no mean feat for a stallion at stud almost 70 years ago.
Bill Steer also bred outstanding racehorse Hands Turn, who won $100,000 in the mid-70s.
Hands Turn matched it with the best pacers of his era during the halcyon days of WA harness.
Jane, who trains a small team at Northam, said Hands Turn was the apple of her grandfather’s eye.
“He said he wanted to be cremated and have the ashes buried with Hands Turn,” Jane said.
Jane’s father Les was a successful trainer-reinsman and her brother Lorne has been a highly respected country driver for three decades.
Sixteen-year-old Liam has quite a tradition to live up to as he starts his journey to the racetrack but he is keen to make his mark.
“I have worked for a few different trainers in the school holidays – Aiden De Campo, Colin Brown and Dylan Egerton-Green, Jesse Moore and Aldo Cortopassi,” he said.
“I would like to make it a career down the track but first I have to finish school and look for a trade.
“I would like to try carpentry.”
The Year 11 student has driven in three trials. He has to successfully complete 30 trial drives to obtain his reinsman’s licence.
Rick Lee