The Last Trip’s Eureka dream still burning bright

Two years ago, Ben Said sat behind a young pacer in trackwork for the first time and fell for him.

Now The Last Trip (Poster Boy – Fususi) is one of the hottest names in Eureka betting, rated a $4.50 second favourite behind Loucasso for the $1.5 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on November 21.

Said was working for Tammy Langley in Tasmania at the time, and he took the harness racing gelding home to pre-train himself before handing him to Taylor Ford.

The Last Trip’s early career was modest. He won on debut at Bendigo in August 2024, and across five starts for trainers Taiba and Vince Vallelonga he managed two wins and a third. His last run of that period was a sixth at $71 in the VHRC Caduceus Classic in January 2025. He then disappeared from the track for nearly 18 months.

When he returned, it was from the Emma Stewart stable, and the results changed. After a narrow second at the Melton trials on June 16, he won at Kilmore by 25.8 metres. Ten days later he won the IRT Graduation Final at Melton by 48.6 metres in a career-best winning mile rate of 1:51.8.

Said is still waiting to find his limit.

“We don’t know where his bottom is yet,” Said said.

He then showed he could win in different ways. In the IRT Pace Final at Melton on August 22, he settled last as the $1.50 favourite before Ford sent him around the field to sit outside the leader.

With room to spare, she dropped him in for a breather, then pulled him three wide in the straight, where he reeled in Pick Up Elvis and drew clear to win by 4.9 metres. It was his fourth win in a row.

In his Vicbred heat at Kilmore on September 10, Ford went the other way. Forty Love fought hard to keep him out early, but The Last Trip crossed to the front, kicked clear on the home turn and held on by 3.4 metres. It was five from five for the stable.

The Group 2 Vicbred Final at Melton nine days later was the race Said had circled as a key Eureka form race. From the back row, The Last Trip ($4.40) settled three back on the outside while the leaders went hard early. With a lap to go, Ford pulled him three wide, and he made his run without cover to be within two metres of the lead at the 400.

VICBRED FINAL REPLAY

He kept coming, but Fox Dan, who had enjoyed the run of the race behind the leader, found a gap along the inside and won by 4.2 metres in a mile rate of 1:52.3.

The Last Trip took second in a photo over I Am The Storm.

It was the only one of his six runs this season he didn’t win.

The Last Trip has now won seven of his 11 starts, five of them for Stewart, and earned $60,220. The partnership with Ford has been central to it all. Said insisted the 28-year-old former Tasmanian keep the drive when the gelding joined Stewart and Tonkin.

He is a brown gelding by Poster Boy out of the Village Jasper mare Fususi, bred by David Sheppard, and is raced by S D Randall, B S Said, D Harland, L D Douglas, J S Said and M Said.

His trainers know the way to Eureka glory, having won two of the race’s three runnings.

Connections have yet to announce The Last Trip’s next start.

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From Harnesslink Media