Image courtesy Bradley Photographers - Les Bridge soon after he began his training career.
It’s no surprise a bloke who dressed like this in the 1960’s would later train a horse called Sir Dapper.
Bradley Photographers took this one of Les Bridge soon after he began his training career in the mid 1960’s. He’d been moderately successful as an apprentice when indentured to Clyde Cook at Randwick.
With Cook in ill health in his later years, Les was doing more training than riding and decided to take out his own licence.
He’s never had a large team, but has rarely been without a decent horse in his care. He trained Sir Dapper to win 13 from only 18 starts and won the 1987 Melbourne Cup with Kensei. He was especially fond of Hot Danish who won 16 races including 2 Gr 1’s.
Fifty three years after that photo was taken, the remarkable Les Bridge is within a few months of saddling up a runner in the third edition of The Everest. He’s the trainer of the lightly raced, but wildly exciting Classique Legend, who was the first horse into the $14 million race.
Bridge is one of Sydney’s most laid back trainers. On a day when Everest hype will be getting to trainers, he’ll be taking it all in his stride.