Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Sir Les will continue his racing education at Royal Randwick this Saturday when trainer Craig Carmody sends the three-year-old gelding into a benchmark 72 race over 1100m.
The All Too Hard gelding won his first two starts over 1000m before finishing a close fifth in a benchmark 72 Midway race at Rosehill Gardens on May 30.
For more Australian racing coverage, read Bellatrix Star set for cautious Caulfield return in Sir John Monash Stakes.
Craig Carmody Takes Patient Approach
Carmody has deliberately spaced Sir Les’ runs, using the break to improve the gelding’s manners under race pressure.
“He’s going well,” Carmody confirmed.
“He’s had a bit of time in between runs because I just wanted to work a bit on his ability to sort of respond to pressure. He’s been sort of wanting to charge through pressure, as you’ve probably realised when he’s raced, just going a little bit hard.”
That tendency to over-race has shaped the preparation, with jockey Chad Lever expected to get another chance to guide him at the Royal Randwick racecourse.
“I’ve worked really hard trying to get that going a bit better and I feel as though Chad (Lever) might get a little bit better response on Saturday from him.”
Randwick Run To Test His Sprint Future
The step to 1100m in town should tell Carmody more about where Sir Les fits this campaign.
The trainer believes patience now could pay off later, especially if the gelding learns to settle behind the bridle instead of fighting pressure.
“I really needed the last month just to work on getting that response going a little bit better,” Carmody elaborated.
“And look, I’m optimistic that I’m winning that battle, so I’d love to for him to show that on Saturday that he’s listening to the bridle a bit better.”
Sir Les also carries a family link for Carmody, who trained his dam, Everage, to stakes success.
“I trained the mother, she was a very handy two-year-old, she won what is now the Percy Sykes, formerly the Keith Mackay, we only paid twenty thousand for her and that sparked the interest in Sir Les.”
Carmody is not rushing the gelding, viewing him as a horse who may be at his best with maturity.
“He’s only young so I’m in no hurry to race him often, I just want to want to get some lessons into him, get some experience into him, because I think he’s going to be a very handy four-and-five-year-old sprinter.”
