Episode 572: Kris Lees

Kris Lees was thirty three years old when his father Max passed away in 2003. He’d been training a handful of horses in his own right while working as stable foreman for his very respected trainer/dad. He was left reeling when a sudden illness claimed Max’s life at just 63 years of age. Kris made the instant decision to carry on where the multiple Gr 1 trainer had left off. The team totalled 50 horses and Kris was humbled to learn that almost every existing client had decided to leave their horses exactly where they were. Twenty three years on Kris has established a stellar training record and boasts some amazing season by season statistics. It’s seven years since Lees Jnr has been a guest on this podcast and it’s high time we invited him back. The trainer says very few call him by his birth name of Kristen. He talks about his horse numbers at Newcastle and on the Gold Coast with acknowledgement of the people who look after his Queensland operation. Kris is justifiably proud of his training stats over more than two decades. He takes us back to early days when he went to work for his father after getting an exemption from school. He talks of an ambition to be a bookmaker and his friendship with neighbour Ray Wallace, one of Newcastle’s most astute trainers.  Kris looks back on his decision to train a few horses in his own name while working for his father.  He remembers Max’s sudden illness and a premature passing that would deeply sadden the racing world. Lees Jnr speaks with great affection of the “iron gelding” County Tyrone who provided his first Gr 1 win. By an eerie coincidence the horse had been Max Lees’ final Gr 1 winner. He looks back on the privilege of being given a $1.5 million dollar filly very early in his training career. Kris would win seven races including three Gr 1’s with the star filly Samantha Miss. He talks of the mare’s subsequent stud career and reviews the racetrack deeds of her six foals.  He looks back on the surprise phone call from NZ advising him that a hugely talented mare was on her way across the Tasman. He was horrified to see her fall in a race at Ellerslie before being sent to Australia. Lucia Valentina reached dizzy heights for her Aussie trainer. Kris doesn’t hide his affection for the evergreen Le Romain whose 7 wins and 18 placings netted $4.3 million dollars.  The trainer pays tribute to Gr 1 winners like In Her Time, Sense Of Occasion, Vitesse Dane, Amokura, and Kalapour. He talks of his winning associations with father-son jockeys Andrew and Dylan Gibbons. Kris looks back on his extraordinary record in the Provincial Championship Series since its inception in 2015. He’s qualified a whopping 56 horses for 11 Finals for five winners and seven placegetters.  Kris says you don’t need a champion to accumulate mind boggling prize money. He talks of two big earning stable warriors. The trainer talks about the gradual expansion of his Broadmeadow training base. He discusses the importance of barrier trials in the modern racing world. Kris talks about the selection of jockeys for his huge number of runners. He pays tribute to wife Christie, daughter Emerson, and sons Marshall and Manning. A laid back chat with one of Australia’s best horse trainers.