Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Championships bound mare Mahogany Girl is two comeback stories rolled into one.

Chad Lever and Mahogany Girl's trainer Darryll Kell (Pic: Bradley Photos).

It’s been well documented that the six-year-old returned to racing last spring having produced a foal by Peltzer but she was also the catalyst for jockey Chad Lever to reboot his career.

Lever had phased himself out from riding to help wife Claire focus on her business, he only had 28 rides in 2022/23 and just two in 23/24, and was enjoying a change of pace.

When he was introduced to Mahogany Girl’s trainer Darryll Kell and got involved with the mare it sparked something in the 45-year-old hoop.

“I wasn’t riding at the time. Darryll came into the track and was looking for someone to help out,’’ Lever said.

“I’d just started to come back and get a few rides again and she was pretty much the bug to get back going again.

“Claire got pretty busy with her racehorses and pre-trainers. I was going to have a month off and it turned into 18.

“I quite enjoyed doing that with her, the body needed a rest and I didn’t get too heavy which was good. I started to miss the racing a bit and slowly got back into it and (Mahogany Girl) came along.

“She gave me a good feel at trackwork and it snowballed from then.”

Of course neither Kell or Lever could have predicted where the mare has taken them since she had her first run in two and a half years back in late September in a Goulburn maiden.

She'd run well at her only other start back in January of 2022 but she sustained a tendon strain and was retired to the breeding barn by her owner Scott Robinson. She produced a colt and after he'd been weaned a scan showed Mahogany Girl's injury had healed.

Kell and Robinson had met through Kell's role as president of Harness Breeders NSW and they decided to pair up and put the mare back in work.

Just to win a race would have been an achievement – not a lot of mares make comebacks after having a foal – but she’s now won four of her nine starts and heads to Rosehill on Tuesday for the Midway Handicap (1300m) which is her lead up to the $1 million Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships Final.

“She’s always had a bit of ability, we’ve had to work her out and I think we have now. Darryll has a pretty good handle on her,’’ Lever said.

“She can be a bit of a handful at times, you need to keep her in check and she’s producing on the track.

“Even now I think there is still improvement in her, she’s starting to handle race days a bit better. She gets a bit wound up around crowds so it’ll be interesting on Saturday how she handles that.

“She was much better at Hawkesbury the other day, there was a bit of a crowd. She sweated up again like she usually does but she switched off when she was with a pony.

“For her to come back and do what she’s done is quite remarkable.

“We weren’t expecting a great deal from her, I always thought she would be able to win a couple of races but she’s done more than that.”

Mahogany Girl, $8 with TAB on Friday, led all the way and defied the well performed Well Timed to win her Provincial-Midway Championships Qualifier on her home track at Hawkesbury three weeks ago.

Lever said her performance at Rosehill is important, while it’s not a win at all costs race he’d like to see her handle the day and continue her consistent form to have her ready for Randwick on April 12.

He likes how the Midway looks to unfold for her and sees no reason why she won’t hold her form.

Mahogany Girl wins her Provincial-Midway Championships Qualifier at Hawkesbury

“We’ll come out and have her where she is, if something wants to go mad I’d be happy to let it go,’’ he said.

“She’s brilliant out of the gates, has a good cruising speed so she will be forward. Whether that’s in front or behind the speed depends on how fast they want to go.

“I’d just like to see her pre-race manners be good. If she can hold it together I’m sure she will acquit herself well.”

All the fields, form and replays for Stakes day at Rosehill