Border hopping Lees follows the sun to Callaghan Park.

Young Ballina horseman Jordan Lee, the son of Group-race winning trainer Stephen Lee, is hoping to celebrate his first week in Rockhampton by winning races at Callaghan Park on Thursday.

The Lee family name is firmly established in racing, with Jordan a third-generation trainer. Jordan’s dad Stephen learned the racing business from his late father, Bruce Lee, at Quirindi before launching a training operation initially at Coffs Harbour and then at Ballina.

Racing has become a family tradition for the 24-year-old who travelled from the Northern Rivers to Rockhampton last Sunday in a hope to “get his horses away from wet tracks”.

He saddles three starters this week on the seven-race Callaghan Park program.

Lee has eight horses currently stabled on course at Callaghan Park and together with his father’s horses, hopes to build that number to 20 by the Rockhampton Cup Carnival.

Fine weather, the prospect of good racing surfaces each week at Callaghan Park and a lure of a $20,000 Trainer’s bonus at the Carnival’s One Syndications Newmarket and TAB Rockhampton Cup meetings in July are just some of the enticements for team Lee’s decision to follow the sun north.

“We are dodging the wet tracks and Rocky offers the best facilities and track, so the decision was easy to come here,” Lee said. “We will start here on Thursday and work our way to the Carnival, increasing our horse numbers as we go.”

A successful trainer in his own right, Jordan Lee makes his Callaghan Park debut with He’s Poplar in the Maiden Handicap (1400m). He also will start Immortality in the Class 1 (1200m) and Per Capita (Class 3 -1300m). Both He’s Poplar and Immortality will be ridden by apprentice Corey Sutherland with Chris Whiteley riding Per Capita. Sutherland rode his first winner in March last year for his former boss Cody Morgan in Tamworth. When he moved to Queensland he was mentored by the late Pat Duff, a Hall of Fame trainer who guided jockeys the likes of Mick Dittman, Michael Pelling, Jim Byrne and Mandy Radecker, among others. Currently riding in the SEQ region, Sutherland has ridden 40 winners.

A seven-start maiden He’s Poplar, lightly-raced son of I Am Invincible, is close to its first victory and with a 2kg claim for Sutherland, he looks right in the mix to open Lee’s Rockhampton account. Two weeks ago, the gelding finished second to Jed and a $50,000 Super Maiden (1205m) at Grafton when he was the $3.30 race favourite. His main opposition is likely to come from Boom Crusher (Warwick Satherley) and Snow Show (Ryan Wiggins).

“It was a great run by him last start, the track was a Soft 7 and raced a bit worse than that, and he finished off the race really good,” Lee said. “Jai (Williams) said when he came back, putting over 1400m and he will just be winning. “He is not a big horse so back to 58 and a half and with the beautiful 600m long straight here in Rocky, this should suit him.”

Immortality, also a son of I Am Invincible will benefit from Sutherland’s claim as well. He has only had one start this preparation but showed glimpses of ability in the Northern Rivers last spring and is a recent trial winner in Grafton. His only victory from 15 starts was at Geelong as a 2YO. “His trial form was good leading into his disappointing first up run at Doomben but he went into that race soft after missing some work due to the rain,” Lee said. “He didn’t handle the cut in the track at Doomben that day it was very shifty.”

Jockey Ceejay Graham told the trainer to go home and put a line through the run because Immortality didn’t handle the track at all. Ön the drier surface here, I think you will see a big improvement,” Lee said.

An interesting runner in this race is the bush galloper Hvardance to be ridden by Whiteley. Trained in Roma by Ben Waldron, the Exceedance filly won its first race last month at Flinton, then placed second at Thangool, before winning again less than two weeks ago with Whiteley aboard at Burrandown.

Lee’s third runner Per Capita, is a New Zealand-bred 5YO who has been in the prizemoney at six of his 15 race starts. To be ridden by comeback rider Whiteley, Per Capita will run from barrier one and his form suggests he has some hope in an open race. Lee said he thought the horse who was on a Country Championship path would have gone through his grades a little sooner. “His form behind good horses like Fukubana who came out and won that Benchmark 85 on Doomben Ten Thousand day has been good, he appreciates a bit of cut in the track and with a senior rider like Chris Whiteley, I think he will find a suitable race up here,” Lee said.

Ricky Vale’s The Brill Building (McKenzie Apel), the Clinton Taylor trained pair El Of A Senorita (Ryan Wiggins), and Magic Game (Justin Stanley) together with the Stuart Kenrick-trained Loose Unit (Corey Sutherland) from the Sunshine Coast are certain to be in demand.

The first race on Thursday starts at 1.10 pm.

By David Aldred – CEO RJC