Lethal Leigh Set to Land Killer Punch
- Friday, 20 September 2002 00:00
While most of the attention will be centred around the star performers Northerly, Bel Esprit, Magical Miss and Innovation Girl, one of Victoria's most exciting young performers, Lethal Leigh, will also be galloping for a share of the prizemoney on a huge day of racing.
Lethal Leigh is to Wales what Northerly is to Kersley and Bel Esprit is to Symons. In fact - that's probably not quite right. This young son of Prince of Birds has been a member of the "family" right from day one.
Wales raced Lethal Leigh's dam Sweet Pippa, who was a daughter of Let's Get Physical, who in turn is out of a stakes placed daughter of the champion stayer Rain Lover.
"She (Sweet Pippa) won four races and that would have been five but she lost one on protest," Wales said. "Although she was bred to get further she only won about the 1200 metre range."
It is those points that Wales, who's stable at present totals three, thinks Lethal Leigh can get to at least a mile (1600m) in the future.
A lightly raced son of Prince of Birds, Lethal Leigh will be having just his sixth start on Saturday, and connections are hoping it will be win number four.
The Lethal Leigh story is an interesting one to say the least. And his "lethal" tag was been with him since day one.
"I remember when he was a foal and I was looking after him he would kick and bite and generally be a real handful," Wales said. "I nicknamed his Leigh and I guess Lethal stuck from his early problems."
"Luckily we gelded him early on and since then he has quietened down quite a bit and he's actually now the best behaved horse in the stable," she added.
From an "obnoxious" foal, Lethal Leigh has developed into one of the state's most exciting gallopers and the pride of the tight knit Wales stable.
Right from his first gallop, Wales was aware she had found a horse with above average ability.
"He's always shown us plenty of ability," she said. "And the first time we gave him some pace work he had the feel of a good horse."
At start number one Lethal Leigh showed his natural ability when he ran second on debut in a Sale maiden, when his trainer confessed he was underdone.
"There weren't that many trials around at the time and ideally I would have liked to have given him another one before actually starting in a race. In the race he was very green and he ran second at big odds."
From a humble second at Sale, the gelding was sent straight to the "big smoke" and after sitting back midfield throughout he swept on the leaders in the straight before drawing clear for an impressive victory.
"It was a great thrill to win with his second start at Sandown," Wales recalled. "He gave me my first city winner."
Proving his initial city race success was no fluke Lethal Leigh was sent to Moonee Valley when he dealt with the Group winner Raja Lane in dashing style.
He then had no luck when given a test in a hot field in the listed Straight Six, a race won by the well bred and talented race mare Princesa.
"He went home after that race and we found he had a high temperature and things weren't right that day. He wasn't his normal self," she recalled.
Wales sent the gelding out for an immediate rest and he displayed he'd derived great benefit from the spell with a strong win first up at Sandown earlier this month.
The opposition may be a lot stronger at Caulfield on Sunday and he may be racing at a track he's never seen, but Lethal Leigh is expected to prove one of the horses to beat in the "lucky last."
While most connections would be concerned if their representative draws a wide barrier in any sprinting event, Wales feels barrier fourteen could actually be a blessing in disguise.
"It (the outside draw) might actually be in his favour," Wales said. "It's the last race and with the conditions the way they are at the moment the inside might not be the place to be."
"It's a much tougher race than I thought it would be," Wales revealed. "There's plenty of quality in the field with horses like Feel the Noise, who we beat the only time we've met, and Bisha Mon, who has put on a string of wins (in Adelaide)."
Wales, who bred, reared, owns and trains the chestnut galloper, is using Sunday's race as a guide as to where Lethal Leigh will be heading over the next couple of months.
"We'll just take one step at a time," she said.
