Fancy return for a legend training clan
By Jordan Gerrans
Hailing from a famous racing clan in the Sunshine State, Rockhampton’s Leaonie Horstman is helping carry on the family’s legacy with a breakthrough victory at Yeppoon on Saturday afternoon.
Leaonie is the daughter of former trainer and jockey Lyn Horstman and the granddaughter of the late jockey and trainer Colin “Lizard” Lisle.
Lottie Lisle – Colin’s wife – prepared her own team of horses, as well.
Over the last year Leaonie has returned to training a team of gallopers after well over a decade away from preparing horses.
It was her mother Lyn who sparked the comeback to the training ranks as the former hoop purchased a few horses for her daughter to put the polish on.
Leaonie nabbed her first victory since November of 2008 on Saturday at Yeppoon when Fancy Legend led all the way to score in a 1200 metre maiden event on the non-TAB program.
The 55-year-old Leaonie has taken about 20 starters to the races since November of last year in her return and was chuffed to grab Fancy Legend’s win as she has been working hard behind the scenes on the four-year-old mare.
“It was very exciting, it was awesome – that is for sure,” Leaonie said.
“Especially to get this horse to win because she had a lot of muscle problems when she first came up here.
“We were just trying to get her right, that was the main thing with her.
“The horse did well and it was a great ride by McKenzie Apel, she is a good rider and one of the best around here at the moment.”
Central Queensland broadcaster Tony McMahon was behind the binoculars at Yeppoon Turf Club on Saturday and was quick to point to Leaonie’s history in the caper in the call.
“She comes from a famous racing family with her grandfather being Colin “Lizard” Lisle,” McMahon said.
“Well done to Leaonie.”
The daughter of So You Think has only been in Leaonie’s care for her last three starts after transferring north from regional New South Wales after initially starting her career with premier conditioner Chris Waller.
The majority of Fancy Legend’s race day experience has come under the watch of Bathurst horseman Roy McCabe who hails from Emerald in Central Queensland.
The Lisle and Horstman families also have strong links to the Emerald area with McCabe contacting Lyn about the mare continuing her career in CQ.
McCabe has remained in the ownership group of the mare.
“I have had her for a month or so, she came up to win a maiden and a couple of races as they thought it might be easier company up here,” Leaonie said.
“She had the fitness on them on Saturday as she started at 'Rocky' on Tuesday and just knocked up late.
“She was fitter going into Saturday and she is just a jump and run horse, she led all the way on Saturday.”
Fancy Legend won by more than four lengths in a dominant display on Saturday.
The 73-year-old Lyn owns shares in four of the five gallopers her daughter prepares.
“Mum decided to buy into a few horses again as we have not had horses for a long time,” she said.
“Mum was a lady jockey back in the day with Glenda Bell and all of them out west. Mum wanted to get a few horses going again.”
Before taking out her trainers' licence again, Leaonie initially returned to the industry as a stablehand over the last few years to help John Poots after the ‘Rocky’ trainer suffered a serious fall.
Leaonie did not follow her mother and grandfather into the jockey ranks but she rode plenty of trackwork over the years.
Now working out of Rockhampton, Leaonie also had stints preparing her stable at Mackay and Emerald in her earlier training stints.
After landing back in the winner’s enclosure on Saturday, Leaonie has an array of chances to keep the positive results rolling this week.
Her team heads to Thangool Race Club with Zoffany's Gaze in the Open Handicap over 1400 metres while they have three runners nominated for Mackay’s Thursday program.
Former city-level galloper Stampe headlines Thursday’s runners from the ‘Sugar City’ as the veteran sprinter is chasing another victory after a lengthy winless run.
