While this year’s Magic Millions winner Sunlight cruised to victory in Saturday’s Group 3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield, 2015 champion Le Chef also put in a dominant display, in a $9000 Class 6 Plate in Cloncurry in country Queensland. A Far cry from a dramatic fall from grace however, persistent ownership and a patient training effort have got Le Chef back in the winners circle after a luckless and disastrous string of injuries.
A $120,000 buy at the 2014 Sale, Le Chef made it victory number 7 on the weekend from just 24 starts, showing glimpses of the form he promised as a 2-year-old. After an underwhelming debut at Doomben, the Exceed and Excel colt came into his own when completing a 5-length demolition job at Ipswich next start.
Following a win in the $1,643,500 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, and runs in the Champagne Stakes, Roman Consul and Vo Rogue Plate, the now 6-year-old has just won for the first time since May 2017 under the carful eye of Mount Isa trainer Jay Morris. Though still battling slight niggles, the trainer is confident we haven’t seen the last of Le Chef.
“He’s had endless injuries.” Morris said.
“The owners did spell him, he went to the paddock, he went no good in the paddock so they got his knees operated on again.”
“That’s his third knee injury, before he got that his last 2 runs were a win and a second in town.”
Sustaining his latest injury at the Sunshine Coast back in December last year, Le Chef was nominated for the weight-for-age at Birdsville in September before finally stepping out at Cloncurry, completing an impressive 3.25 length victory as a $1.30 pop. Doing it in style, trainer Jay Morris has now set his superstar on a return to the provincials.
“I’ve had him since April, just ticking him over steady and trying to get him to the Townsville Magic Millions race in December, that’s our aim.”
“He won effortlessly on Saturday which you would expect if he was right.”
With the set-weights place race at Cloncurry an ideal option for Morris and Le Chef first up and close to home, the trainer now admits the horse is bound for bigger and better things, potentially targeting some of North Queensland’s feature races in 2019.
“We’d look at the Cleveland Bay and the Rockhampton and Mackay Newmarket races for sure, you never know, he’s probably good enough to mix it with them type of horses.”
“He’s ticked the first box, he got through a run, he stood up, and I just think if we keep looking after him the same way and keep doing our same program and space his runs, we’ll go to the Townsville race in December, and then have 3 months off so we may even send him back to Darryl (Hansen).”
Le Chef has remained with buyer Lenore Saunders for the duration of his career and like much like Beaudragon, has been well travelled and has recorded victories under both Darryl Hansen and Jay Morris. Le Chef has now amassed $1,576,550 in prize money, in fact $1,398,445 more than the whole field he raced on the weekend combined.
