Ton of celebrations looming for Overton family

By Jordan Gerrans

The connections of resurgent trotter Supplanter will have a few significant reasons to celebrate over the coming week.

The six-year-old gelding grabbed his first win in Queensland on Tuesday of last week after going without a triumph since June of 2022 when he last scored at Kilmore in Victoria.

Supplanter will face the starter again on Tuesday at headquarters over 2138 metres in a bid to make it back-to-back victories.

Sitting high in the grandstand watching proudly will be part-owner of the square gaiter – Keith Overton.

Keith is nearing a magical milestone himself as he is set to raise the bat on Sunday when he turns 100 years of age.

Keith owns the trotter – and a handful of other standardbreds – alongside his son Jim (who is in his 70s himself), Russell Reimer and trainer Matthew Clayton. 

At 99 years of age, Keith does not get around as quickly as he once did but Supplanter’s breakthrough last week certainly put a spring in his step.

“It was very pleasant as well, being his first Queensland win,” Jim said.

“It was very great as he was a relatively inexpensive horse for us to purchase.

“He had not been himself for quite a while so once Matthew got him right, Pete McMullen put in a fabulous drive to win last week. It was the drive that got the horse home.”

Keith is one of the oldest active owners across all three codes of racing in the Sunshine State.

The ownership team have two going around at Albion Park on Tuesday with fellow trotter My Ultimate Eddie also entered for the program.

The Overtons get to the track as often as possible and they plan to be there this week.

Keith prefers day meetings to heading to the races under lights and with his milestone birthday looming it is a perfect opportunity to see his pride and joy in person.

“With two of our trotters in, we will be there,” Jim said.

“It is a good spot for him to sit at Albion Park and watch all the action. It has been a fabulous journey with these horses.”

They also own shares in Call Me Trouble who is trained by Mark Rees.

Rees also prepares My Ultimate Eddie.

The 42-year-old Clayton has revitalized his stable over the last 18 months after taking a decade off training.

The conditioner of a team of four at Haigslea says the Overtons and Reimer are a good bunch of people to train for.

“It is good to have these sorts of people in ownership, they have come a long way,” the trainer said.

“They started with one horse with Russell and have a few more now. It is new people to the game and it is a good interest for them. We know how important new owners are to the sport.”

Clayton did not prepare a team of horses between 2013 and 2023 but has made a flying return, collecting nine winners from a touch over his 50 starters since he decided to return to the caper.

The horseman says he is loving being back in the sport on a consistent basis and uses the Marburg facility for his fast work.

The father-and-son Overton team have been harness tragics for the majority of their lives but have only turned to ownership over the last decade.

Jim recalls his father taking him to Harold Park in Sydney way back in the 1950s.

While they have long been followers of the pacers and trotters, it was a tragic event which instigated their move into ownership.

“We have always been harness racing mad but we have only been in the ownership side of it all for the last seven or eight years,” Jim said.

“We had been on the spectator side of it all for forever and a day since I was a child. My mum passed away in 2017 and my dad took that very hard at the time as they have been together for decades.

“We decided to buy a race horse to lift his spirits and that was 10 or 12 horses ago. The horses brought dad out of his funk.”

Supplanter had been racing under the Richardson banner in Queensland until earlier this year when Clayton and his loyal owners purchased the trotter.

The gelding had six starts for Clayton before breaking through last week.

The trainer says the task will be tougher again on Tuesday but after drawing three of the front line and with McMullen engaged again, the team are hopeful of another positive result.

“It takes the pressure off getting that first win,” Clayton said.

“I always wanted another trotter and he came up online. He had been running well without much luck to win.”

As well as Supplanter, Clayton has enjoyed a strong run of form with veteran pacer One Last Roll who has won seven races since joining his stable in the middle of last year. 

The 11-year-old One Last Roll won a heat in Trot Rods earlier in the series and will front up again on Wednesday evening in the finale program for 2024.