Nothing silly about 'Bubba's' form on the Darling Downs

By Jordan Gerrans

When you're hot, you're hot.

And, from around 5pm on Saturday afternoon to 1pm on Sunday afternoon, hoop Les Tilley was red hot.

The 30-year-old put together a career-best day or so in the saddle when it comes to his prolific numbers. 

He collected a handful of victories on the Clifford Park program on Saturday evening, which bettered his previous high-mark of four at one meeting. 

He buttered up on Sunday down the road at Warwick and knocked over the first race on the Sunday program to make it half-a-dozen for the 20-hour period.  

Tilley’s hit-list included Sweet Hesitation, Miss Mozambique, Decorative, Chinchilla Ahead and Prefer To Dance at Toowoomba before grabbing a victory aboard Seams Logical at Warwick’s Allman Park on Sunday. 

A couple of days on from his red-hot spree, Tilley says it still doesn’t feel completely real.

It could have been six as while he piloted five winners, he did have another galloper run close and finish second on Saturday. 

“It was great,” Tilley said.

“I was more shocked than stoked. It still hasn’t really sunk in to be honest.”

The man known as ‘Bubba’ has made Clifford Park his home base in recent years after previously flying across the Sunshine State in search of winners. 

He has been rewarded with the last two Toowoomba premierships in the riding ranks. 

Following his five-timer on Saturday evening as the 2025-26 season builds momentum, he is already putting his hand up to make it a three-peat at the Darling Downs venue. 

Instead of flying to tracks such as Mackay and Townsville, Tilley has instead concentrated on heading to more local meetings in the car.

“That has been the focus, sticking around here, ride here or head over the border,” he said.

“I am getting plenty of support on the Darling Downs and the Northern Rivers.”

He will still head north for the carnivals and into town for a ride, but his main focus has been the Darling Downs in recent times.

Sweet Hesitation and Miss Mozambique started as short-priced commodities in the market on Saturday. 

The popular hoop went to the races thinking he could walk away with three winners but never envisioned he would land the handful. 

“I didn’t think I could ride five winners, I thought I could get three,” he said.

“Sweet Hesitation, Miss Mozambique and My Name Is - they were the three I thought I could win on.

“But, I did not expect the other ones.”

With four winners already under his belt, Tilley was legged up on My Name Is by his old boss Pat Webster who quickly informed him that he had never ridden more than four victories on one program and he was getting the chance on his horse. 

My Name Is was forced to settle for second before Tilley rounded put the meeting by winning the last event aboard James Moore’s Prefer To Dance by a nose in a diving three-way finish. 

The voice of Clifford Park Anthony Collins was quick to acknowledge Tilley’s achievement in the call.

“Prefer To Dance, five for Tilley,” Collins said.

“Bubba has had a night out at (Clifford) Park.”

Tilley will be out to keep the ball rolling forward on Wednesday when he heads to Ipswich Turf Club to partner Piston Rebel for William Kropp and Uno Moon for trainer Michael Lakey. 

He believes Kropp’s Piston Rebel will be competitive in the Class 1 Plate over 2200 metres after breaking his maiden status at the venue in late August in dominant fashion. 

“I do like the one of Kropp’s, the horse has shown a lot of promise, to be honest,” he said.

“He is jumping up a lot in distance and weight but his win the other day was really impressive.

“He blitzed them at Ipswich. 

“He handled the jump up from 1400 metres to a mile pretty easy so there shouldn’t be much difference in this jump up in distance, as well.”