The Two Brave Chiefs of the Ledger Stable
- Sunday, 06 October 2002 00:00
Overcoming the odds to stand tall in this roller coaster sport of thoroughbred racing we all love so much is Wangaratta trainer, John Ledger. He hides the gruelling last 10 weeks in which he has encountered battling with a serious bone infection that saw him hospitalized for over a month with talk of amputation of his foot. Thirty years ago he had an accident and was shot in the foot before recovering to compete at the highest level of show jumping and being short-listed for our Olympic team of 1988.
The last months have left his new stable complex and 40 horses in work in the capable hands of his son jockey Adrian to manage together with younger twin brothers Chris and Brad. Adrian who shows maturity way beyond his years has put his own career on hold to be the driving force of this unique team. John is on the road to recovery and keen to see Adrian back riding fulltime and to fulfill his ambition of working in Ireland next year for the powerful O’Brien stable together with his girlfriend Aimee who herself is an accomplished rider and equine vet nurse.
Two years ago John, with the help of his very good Group winning mare Blaze The Turf, acquired a huge area of land directly opposite the Wangaratta racecourse and set about building the showpiece which stands there today. Son Travis, a builder by trade, made sure nothing was done halfway and the results are impressive. The barn itself houses up to 40 horses in huge 20 x 16’ boxes all open and airy. There are also 20 paddocks where the babies frolic on lush grass as they watch their older friends go about the business of becoming racehorses. There is a long straight pool for cardio-vascular work, a short walk to the 4 training tracks of the turf club, a walking machine to put a lovely strong top along the backs of all their horses, a house where Adrian lives to be on call if needed and a paddock with show jumps for the twins, Chris and Brad to coach their show jumpers which are now competing at state level.
John commutes from his property in Yarrawonga, only a 20-minute drive from Wangaratta where he always has about 20 young horses being broken in. This team works from dusk till dawn and with a quiet season just passed due to so many young horses in work, is now poised as a force to be reckoned with. The coming season will be exciting for them as they produce up to 50 well bred newcomers to the barriers. Sure it sounds daunting but nothing this big can be run without good management and that comes in the form of wife Kerrie who keeps the books, family and owners intact. Central to both city racing and the smaller country tracks along the NSW/Victorian border, horses can be placed to race wherever their ability takes them. Next time you visit the races at Wangaratta or watch them on Sky Channel have a look after they jump from the mile chute and you’ll see this vast complex.
This Wednesday 9 year old Brave Chief and John Ledger return to the scene of one of their many courageous wins. October 11th 2000 saw this son of Hula Chief lead all the way in the prestigious Cranbourne Cup with jockey Patrick Payne aboard firmly stamping himself as one of the most popular and improved country trained horses racing. Originally broken in and trained by John’s brother George Ledger who passed away suddenly in November 1998 from cancer after Brave Chiefs first campaign, owner Frank Vodusek placed his many horses with John. George and John worked very closely together and both shared the belief this horse was special.
Within a season he repaid their faith and the city wins he boasted prior to the 2000 Cranbourne Cup was an impressive list the likes of: 31.8.97 Moonee Valley jockey: D Nikolic, 30.8.98 Moonee Valley jockey: J Patton, 15.11.98 Moonee Valley jockey: E Marchant, 5.4.99 Caulfield jockey: E Marchant, 15.5.99 Caulfield jockey: A Ledger, 26.6.99 Moonee Valley jockey: A Ledger, 31.7.99 Moonee Valley jockey: A Ledger, 23.9.99 Moonee Valley jockey: J Patton, 17.6.00 Sandown jockey: A Ledger, 29.7.00 Moonee Valley jockey: A Ledger. If you think that is a great achievement after the Cranbourne Cup they then topped it off with the Group 2 Sandown Classic one-month later on 18.11.2000 in Australian record time for 2400m.
After a well-deserved spell he had his best to come, but after his first up run on 24.2.01 tragedy was looming. Brave Chief suffered a severe colic attack so badly he twisted his bowel and found himself on the operating table at Goulburn Valley Equine Hospital. Fortunately for Harry (his stable name) he was under the knife of one of Australia’s best Equine surgeons in Jim Vasey. Jim and his team worked overtime saving his life not once but twice. At least they all thought that he could retire now in the luxury he deserved but Brave Chief had different ideas.
Once he was well and roaming his paddock Brave Chief begged for another chance on the track so John started light work with him just to keep the old horse happy. Like all good soldiers he wore his new scar into battle and had a light campaign showing signs of his old flair but something was missing. Once again they tried to retire him but he wanted no part of that rubbish and ran around his paddock until they gave him another shot at it almost 6 months later. This current campaign he shut up all the grandstand experts who declared he was finished and answered them back by returning to the winners circle at Sandown on August 10th 2002 with his new lightweight and kind partner aboard in Michelle Payne to the cheers and tears of everyone watching.
Patrick teams up again on Wednesday with Chief carrying top weight of 58kgs against a fancy bunch of competitors and game is the person who says he can’t pull it off. This is no fairytale story it’s the true facts about a great team of horse, owner and trainer who have nothing left to prove. Good Luck from everyone at Cyberhorse and the thousands that have cheered for him every start. One thing for sure is George has been watching over the events and very proud of his brother and the horse he whispers encouragement to.
John or Kerrie can be contacted by phone 03 57 44 3728 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
