Page 14 - February 2007 The Game

14 The Game, February 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Beresford Lee: Eager Trainer Seeks Horse with Untapped Potential
Beresford Lee is in a position that’s probably quite common to many in the industry. He has his trainer’s license. He has many years of experience and under- stands what it takes to get a runner to the winner’s circle.
Now, all he needs is a few good horses.
Lee was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada when he was 11 years old. As a young man he developed an interest in racing when a friend claimed a horse named
Steady Zephyr. Lee began to spend more of his time in the backstretch.
“This was in 1987,” he recalls. “I just went to the track and started walking hots. I learned the game there and the following year I went to work for Tino Attard. I worked for him for about six, seven years. I used to rub his big horse, Cozzene’s Prince.”
In the early 90s, his horse racing career did not seem to be going forward. While still maintaining an interest in thoroughbreds, Lee found himself involved in affairs outside the track that consumed most of his time
for the next few years. “When I came back in
1997, I went to work for Malcolm Pierce and Mark Frostad as a groom,” he says, “I learned a lot from Malcolm Pierce about preparing a horse and getting a good horse ready for a good race.”
Lee credits Pierce as the man who has influenced him the most.
“Malcolm Pierce sat me down and showed me his training charts,” he says. “He showed me how to back them up. He told me, ‘You always have to have a destination. You always have to pick a spot for the horse.’ I learned a lot off that man. At that time we had horses like Charlie Dewan and Randy Regent and we had the likes of Victor Cooley and, around that time, Chief Bearheart was just a two year old.”
In 2000, Lee was back working on horses for Tino Attard.
“I was just rubbing anything –claimers -at that time he had horses like Milwaukee Brew and I just worked with them as a groom and then I said, ‘I want my trainer’s license.’ I wanted to train horses. I wanted to branch out.”
In 2004, Lee began what would essentially be his ‘apprenticeship’ to a career as a trainer. A friend had bought a horse named Royal Mischief from Ian Broomfield and Lee assisted Barry Swatuk in preparing him.
“I got the horse ready,” says Lee. “He ran sec- ond first time out and ended up breaking his maiden for $12,500. At that time I decided I was going to write my trainer’s test.”
Lee didn’t just pass his trainer’s test. He got a perfect score. By the end of the 2005 meet at Fort Erie, he was a bona fide thoroughbred trainer.
There was, however, one thing missing from the equation.
“I didn’t have any clients, so I went back to work as a groom for Tino Attard,” he says. “He had some horses and he told me he was going to send them to Fort Erie. I told him. ‘Ok, I’ll take out my assistants license.’ Around June 10, we shipped six horses to Fort Erie and I went down with them. I did all the vet work, all the training. I would sit down with Tino and discuss the races and I would tell him what I thought and we’d put them in the right spots.”
That’s the essence of winning races – putting the horse where it can be competitive, and the ones Lee was working with did very well.
“We started 62 horses at the meet in Fort Erie and we won 12 races,” says Lee. “I won four races with Shipman, two with a filly called Salty Silver Sally, two with a horse named Amisharporwhat and I won two with a horse named Paris Caper.”
Lee was assisting Stephen Chircop, the young nephew of Tino Attard. When Caribineer ran second to Shipman, Chircop used his purse winnings to claim Caribineer for $4,000.
“We ran him back for $5,000 and he finished fourth,” says Lee who saw something he liked in this horse, “I pleaded with Stephen to let me run him for $7,000 going six furlongs. They said he couldn’t get six furlongs, but I believed otherwise.”
Lee’s faith was justified.
“I ran him for $7,000 and he won by 3/4 of a length on the lead all the way,” says Lee with a small amount of vindication in his voice.
For the rest of 2006, the horses Lee was associated with hit the winner’s circle at about 20% and were in the money close to 50%.
“The owners were happy,” he says. “Salty Silver Sally was owned by a Florida outfit called Funky Monkey Stable and Paris Caper and Amisharporwhat are owned by Carmen Attard.”
The year 2006 could have been a more profitable year for Lee, but he doesn’t like to gamble on the horses he trains.
“I think I jinx them when I bet on them,” he laughs, expressing a common backstretch myth. “I’ve had some nice payoffs. Caribineer paid $17. I had Paris Caper, which I loved the day she went a mile and 70 and she
paid $17 too. I didn’t bet on them.
Continued Page 31 - See Beresford Lee
Trainer Beresford Lee poses with his friend’s horse, Ashagio
RICHARD E.P. MOYLAN Thoroughbred Bloodstock Agent
CONSIGNOR OF TOP PRICED FILLY IN SELECT SALE 2006
IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR YEARLINGS!
Sales Prep & Sales Consignment • Breaking & Training • Lay-ups • Broodmare Care & Foaling • New Arena
Hunterview Thoroughbred Horse Farm
North off Hwy #9, Between Airport Rd. & Hwy #50 993445Mono-AdjalaTownline,RR#5,Orangeville,ON L9W2Z2
Farm: 519-940-0319 Cell: 416-999-1249
IN FRANK’S HONOR Lost Code - Daunserly, by Oh Say
• Multiple Graded Stakes Placed Winner of close to $480,000
• Winningfromages2to7at
1mileto11/8miles. Winner on the turf at 8 major racetracks including Belmont, Santa Anita, Keeneland & Woodbine.
Terrific Breeding Potential
for Polytrack!
• ByG1Millionairesire,LostCode, sire of 45 Stakes Winners
• OutoftheOHSaymare,Daunserly, dam of 9 winners including
Japan Stakes winner
I Am The Prince ($525,899)
& G2 Placed Winner, Don Juan A.
2007 Fee: $4,500
($500 Booking Fee, Balance due l.f.) Special Considerations Your Inspection is Welcome New Beginnings Thoroughbreds Julie Morton
2563 Herald Rd. Sharon, ON 905-830-1850 newbeginningsthb@aol.com
His first foals arrive in 2007!
Why are Brooks Feeds Why Should You Choose the Choice of Leading Trainers? Brooks Feeds in 2007?
RESEARCH=PERFORMANCE
Flax Appeal
High in Omega 3 fats, high energy for stretch run endurance
Phase III
The “right” mix of Fibre, fat and starch to put you in the winner’s circle
Woodbine “Ask Bob” Fort Erie “Ask Kevin” Brooks Feeds www.brooksfeed.com
416.453.7038 905.658.7225 905.985.7992 • 905.261.8458 www.ker.com 705.928.1288
Pro Sport Plus
The winning choice of many top trainers
Un-Ti
- Low starch, high energy to keep your horse training every day
Just ask Bob!