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Leroy's big chance in the Listed Goldmarket

25 August 2021

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DSC-1140.jpgBy Jordan Gerrans

Hidden away at Valdora on the Sunshine Coast, ambitious trainer Damien Batters thinks he has found a slice of heaven to launch his career.

Batters has moved between South Australia and Queensland throughout his young life as a horseman, spending time at both Caloundra and the Gold Coast during his time in the Sunshine State.

He has recently settled into new stables at Valdora, which is between Coolum and Yandina, with a 1000-metre track on-site, as well as spacious boxes for his ever-growing team of horses.

The six gallopers in the Batters team look out to the track and a lake from their boxes every day in the open air, rarely confined to a dark stable.

“We find that really helps them,” Batters said.

“It keeps them relaxed; we have found a few horses have come out here highly strung but they are more relaxed now.

“It is a really good way to train, especially for horses like this that are getting a bit old as well, it is a really good way to train.

“One of the advantages is that we do not need to get up at 3am in the morning to work them at Caloundra, we can have a little sleep in if we want.”

While the track at the property at Valdora gets the job done, Batters and his horses will head into Caloundra a couple of times a week for their fast work and keep them acclimatised to actually going to the races.

With his young family supporting him, Batters has recently decided to have a crack at full-time training his stable, instead of juggling work on the side as he had in past years.

The new stables are key to his hopes of making a fist of it as a permanent training in the Queensland ranks.

“We have had four runners in these stables so far for three winners, so it is going well,” Batters said.

“They are happy horses and it is a good place to work them.

“We are having more owners contact us through social media now, we are getting some nicer horses.

“We are supported by a good syndication group in Victoria, Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock, who are looking to buy fillies and mares to come up here and breed as well – they are a great supporter of ours.”

Batters gets his best chance to win a black-type race for the first time in his life this week with big grey Leroytheconqueror in the Listed Goldmarket, raced for $125,000 over 1200 metres.

The feature event of racing from the Gold Coast this Friday boasts Group 1 winner Alligator Blood on the comeback trail from injury, as well as a strong contingent from premier Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan.

DSC-7815.jpgAfter a year without a win, the big grey returned in style earlier this month on his home track, coming from the back of the field to storm home over 1000 metres in Class 5 grade.

Having won four from 19, with seven other minor places, Batters was finding it hard to place his son of Love Conquers All following the first-up triumph.

He has opted to have a throw at the stumps in the toughest grade Leroytheconqueror has faced yet in his career, the Listed Goldmarket at Aquis Park.

Batters’ stable apprentice jockey Brodie Moffat, who rides Leroytheconqueror in much of his work, believes the six-year-old gelding is loving life at Valdora.

Moffat is the son of veteran journeyman hoop Morgan Butler, who rode a winner at the Sunshine Coast last Sunday afternoon.

“He goes really good, he loves it out here being cruisy,” Moffat said of Leroytheconqueror.

“He is a lot calmer out here; I rode him a few times in at the track at Caloundra and you can tell he is relaxed and loves the view.

“I was stoked with his run the other day and to be in a stable like this and see the horses progress, it is amazing.

“This will be a tough race and test his limits, but his work and his feel lately, I think he stands a good chance.”

Moffat will often ride work at Caloundra early in the day before heading to Batters’ yard to finish his morning.

Retired champion hoop Jeff Lloyd remarked to Batters a few years ago that Leroytheconqueror would be a stakes-winning horse later in his career following a spin around on the grey.

All four of Leroytheconqueror’s victories have come on his home track at Caloundra and the grey gets his first look at the Gold Coast this week.

“He has come on really well since that race, he was really good first-up and just loves the Sunshine Coast,” Batters said.

“He will get back on Friday and run on like he does, he might be a bit fresher and handier second-up, which should help.

“He will know he is in a race with the type of horses that are set to go around on Friday, we understand that there is Alligator Blood and half a dozen really quality horses in this race.

“He is a tough bugger and will try his heart out, we know that.

“This is a big opportunity for him.”

jiffkovI.jpegIn his usual racing pattern, the winner of almost $140,000 in prize money gets back and runs on late – something that Batters thinks has cost him a race or two over the journey as he is often finishing hard late but just falls short of grabbing the leader.

Jake Bayliss - another stable rider for Batters - has won twice on the grey as well as three other second-placed finishes and retains the ride this Friday.

In the gelding’s long-term plans, Batters is hopeful of sending him to Melbourne later this year for the greys race, which will be run on 2021 Melbourne Cup Day.

Renamed the Subzero Handicap in 2013 to recongise the achievements of the popular 1992 Melbourne Cup winner, the 1400-metre event - restricted to horses that are grey in colour - will move onto the ten-race program on the first Tuesday in November.