CLAIRE PREFERS TO TRAIN THAN RIDE
FORMER JOCKEY CHASING EAGLE FARM VICTORY WITH JUKEBOX FLYER
FORMER jockey Claire Lever could have been driving 10-hour return trips to the country to chase winners in the saddle, but instead the talented horsewoman is striving for winners in her new life as an emerging trainer.
Lever rode more than 100 winners when she was a jockey but had a change of profession when she felt she had achieved what she wanted to and it was going to be too difficult to make it in Sydney.
She swapped riding winners for training them and the Hawkesbury-based trainer has ventured to Brisbane to try to pick off a Saturday race with sprint filly Jukebox Flyer ($3.40) at Eagle Farm.
Lever’s story in the racing industry is a fascinating one.
She was Claire Nutman when she rode winners, becoming Claire Lever in 2018 when she tied to knot to fellow jockey Chad Lever.
It was also 2018 when she rode in her last race and started the path to becoming a trainer, following her father Richard into the training ranks.
“I had outridden my country claim and my provincial claim and there wasn’t a future staying close to Sydney without a claim,” Lever said. “I had done what I wanted to do as a jockey.
“I didn’t really want to be driving 10hour round trips to the country to get three rides on a Saturday. I also broke my heel towards the end of my apprenticeship, I came back and rode a bit but I had lost the passion for it.
“We moved back to Hawkesbury where I grew up and we got a couple of horses, dad had his trainer’s licence and Chad and I were just mucking around with some horses.
“We started getting more horses and I thought I had better get my training licence. It has just snowballed and I’ve built up to 26 horses in just under two years. Hopefully we have a young horse that can give us a kick along.”
Three-year-old filly Jukebox Flyer has taken an interesting path to get to Saturday’s $75,000 QTIS 3YO Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm. She won her first start at Newcastle in February and was then sent to Caulfield when resuming last month, running a good race to finish runner-up over 1100m.
“There was flooding at home, for the third time this year, and our track got shut and we couldn’t work this filly,” Lever said.
“I said to the owner there was a race at Caulfield and the filly was just in her box at home and we might as well go there to race. I always then had it in my mind to bring her to Queensland in her three-yearold season and try to get that good (QTIS) prizemoney.
“We always intended on running in this race on Saturday but we drew barrier 14 and I was a little bit hesitant at first. But I spoke to a couple of locals in Brisbane and they said although people say it’s an average start, it can work the other way too because if you draw low and you get crossed you are in all sorts of trouble.”
Like most jockeys turned trainers, Lever says it is much harder work as a trainer. But it is also much more rewarding when you strike a winner.
“You go 24-7 as a trainer, seven days a week, you never stop,” Lever said.