Lee team holds key to Warragul Cup

Southwest Victorian horsewoman Marg Lee looks likely to put the cherry on top of a memorable King’s Birthday long weekend in the Warragul Harness Racing Cup this afternoon (Jun 10), with very promising four-year-old Keayang Tokyo (Captaintreacherous).

The hard-working Lee is on track for one of her most successful seasons, with 38 wins, including a double at Melton on Saturday night with trotters Aldebaran Vera (Trixton) and Imperial Monarch (Imperial Count).

But she’s making the four-hour trip from Ecklin South to Warragul today for some unfinished business with Keayang Tokyo, after the first running of the Warragul Cup in April was abandoned mid-race due to a fallen horse.

“It just worked in nicely with his program – and the Warragul club looked after us so well last time, we really wanted to get back there if we could,” Lee said.

“The way the race panned out last time we thought he could win it, but when the other horse choked down, that was that.  Hopefully this time!” she said.

Keayang Tokyo was on the comeback trail from injury when he qualified for the Warragul Cup final at Ballarat on April 11.  Two heats were run at the Cranbourne and Ballarat meetings as qualifiers for the cup on April 21.  But after the race was abandoned and rescheduled, additional nominations were invited, with preference given to the previous qualifiers.

His cup heat victory was the start of a run of four successive wins for Keayang Tokyo, including a gritty success at Melton on June 1.

“That was probably his best win, and his toughest race to date, but of course we have the barrier draw (barrier 11) at Warragul to deal with, too, so that will be a test for him,” Lee said.

“Jason will just have to make up his mind with the race tempo, but hopefully we can get around early,” she said.

Keayang Tokyo is the first foal from the $100,000 winning mare Keayang Secret (Always A Virgin), who was purchased by Lee from leading breeder Peter Gleeson. She had nine wins and 13 placings from just 31 career starts.

Keayang Tokyo had just three starts as a three-year-old early last season, for a win and two placings, including a third in the Gr 2 Caduceus Classic.

“He had a long spell after he got a kick in his hock.  He had a little fracture in there, but (the year) in the paddock has been really good for him, in hindsight.  He’s really filled out and has grown into a nice horse in that time,” Lee said.

Lee, with her sons Jason and Paddy, combine training a huge team of standardbreds with running a 600-head dairy operation on the family’s historic pastoral property “Keayang”.

Lee is currently running at a 25 percent winning strike rate this season, and, as the midway point of the season nears, 38 wins has her on target to improve on her previous season-best, 66 wins in 2019-20 and 2015-16.

“I think the horses are benefitting a lot from the fact that we have upgraded the facilities.  My husband Damien and our eldest son Jack run an earthmoving business with my three brothers Des, John and Harry and we previously had just a 780 metre track,” she said.

“We had a 1400 metre track designed by a guy in Perth, and the boys were able to put that in.  We have been using it for maybe 18 months or two years, but I think the past 12 months we’ve been able to use it to its best advantage.

“We use a treadmill as well and we’ve also used a swimming dam in the past, but we’ve rebuilt it and we’ve now got a 50-metre dam with a walkway down the middle.

“I think altogether it’s made a huge difference, the track, the treadmill and the dam. It’s a lot better on the horses’ legs and they’re performing really well as a result.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink