With the ink barely dry on her brand new trainer’s licence, Claire Lever was dealing with the race day jitters as she legged husband Chad onto Grace Bay before the 1100m Class 1 at Gundagai’s Snake Gully Cup meeting last Friday. Her only previous starter Fast Play had recorded a sixth at Mudgee and a second at Orange, but Claire was quietly confident this was the horse to give her an early entry into the winner’s circle.
Adding weight to the theory that ex jockeys are sometimes prone to issue too many instructions, Claire firmly told her husband of sixteen months that she expected him to be aggressive out of the gate, and no further back than fourth at any stage.
Chad was obviously listening. From barrier four he had Grace Bay in fourth spot on the fence soon after the start. “I was concerned he might get held up at one stage, but when a gap appeared between two leaders on straightening he was through in a flash and the race was all over,” said Claire. “I gave him ten out of ten for that one, and the trip home was a pleasant one. I can’t guarantee that will always be the case.”
Grace Bay and husband Chad presented Claire with her first win as a trainer at Gundagai - courtesy Trackpix Racing Photography.
The Grace Bay story had its beginnings when Claire’s parents Richard and Bernadette Nutman took a NZ holiday early in 2018. During the Auckland leg of their visit, the Nutmans decided to pay a casual visit to the Karaka Yearling Sales and had actually ticked off a Per Incanto filly they’d spotted in the catalogue.
Temptation got the better of Richard earlier in the session when a Jimmy Choux filly stole his heart, and before he knew it $22,000 had leapt from his reserves. “Mum and Dad gave up on the second filly which they thought would be out of range of their depleted bank,” said Claire. “When the Per Incanto stalled at $30,000 Dad couldn’t help himself. Next thing there are two NZ fillies on their way to Hawkesbury.”
“We didn’t produce Grace Bay until October of last year, and I’ll never forget her antics on the day. Chad was offered the ride on a short priced favourite from the Chris Waller stable, so we put Jess Taylor on our girl. She’d had two trials without mishap and we were confident she’d do everything right. To our amazement she shivered and shook and sweated up badly in the parade yard, and did absolutely nothing in the race. To add to our frustration Chad’s ride Starla ran second.”
Grace Bay went for a spell immediately after her debut and happily there’s been no repeat of her Kembla tantrum. Almost five months later Richard Nutman made the decision to take her all the way to Narromine for an 1100m Maiden. Her travelling companion was the Jimmy Choux filly purchased at the Karaka Sale, now known as Choosday Nights. Her mission was a 1300m Maiden. Chad Lever did the honours on both fillies, winning comfortably on Grace Bay, and notching third place on Choosday Nights.
Following a third placing at Nowra and an average fifth at Canberra, Grace Bay was turned out again. It was decided that she’d have a new trainer when she returned to the stables in the spring. “Chad and I decided blinkers would help focus her this preparation,” said Claire. “We made up our minds not to trial her, but to give her two jumpouts at Hawkesbury with the blinkers on. The difference was amazing, and you would have noticed she had them on at Gundagai.”
Claire has no regrets about her decision to quit the saddle in 2018. In six years of race riding she landed 119 winners including a dozen on metropolitan tracks. She spent the bulk of her apprenticeship with her father Richard and during that time rode an enormous amount of trackwork for other Hawkesbury trainers.
Several of those trainers were enamoured of her obvious talent and unwavering work ethic. Other than Richard Nutman, those to offer her strong support were Gary Frazer, Tara Vigouroux, Wade Slinkard, and Bernie Kelly.
Curious to test the water closer to town Claire opted to spend the last year of her indentureship with Tim Martin at Rosehill. “A year in a metropolitan environment was a great learning curve,” said Clair. “I won several races for Tim including a BM at Rosehill on Moral Victory in 2016,” she said. “Of the fifteen horses he had in work at the time Moral Victory was my favourite. A beautiful horse to ride in trackwork and at the races. I enjoyed my time at Rosehill.”
Claire wins on the Tim Martin trained Moral Victory at Rosehill 10/09/2016 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Claire has indelible memories of her first metropolitan ride in September 2013 and the fairy tale that unfolded. She’d been riding a grey mare called Footy Fan for Hawkesbury trainer Wade Slinkard. The daughter of Aussie Rules (USA) wasn’t the easiest horse to handle, but from the moment Claire started to ride her work it was obvious the pair “clicked”.
Their first pairing resulted in a three lengths demolition job on a field of fillies and mares at Hawkesbury. Wade Slinkard then unearthed a suitable fillies and mares race during the Grafton July carnival. Claire retained the ride and another easy win followed.
Following a “freshen up” Footy Fan and her favourite jockey completed the hat trick with a comfortable win in a BM74 over the Wyong mile. “It was time for Footy Fan to be given a chance in town, but I certainly didn’t expect to stay on,” said Claire. “I’d never even had a ride in town. I thought the owners would plump for one of the leading riders.
“Managing part owner, the late Tom Sewell went in to bat for me. He believed it wasn’t a good idea to separate a winning combination and was able to persuade his co owners to stick with me. The one final hurdle I had to overcome was gaining the approval of the stewards to ride in town so early in my career. Thankfully they gave me the all clear.
“Everything went like clockwork on race day. Footy Fan led comfortably and was never going to get beaten. A chorus of family, friends and connections gave me a Melbourne Cup reception when I came back in. Great memories.”
Claire wins on Footy Fan for the Wade Slinkard stable at Rosehill September 2013 - Her first ride in town! - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Another of Claire’s favourites was the Gary Frazer trained Hurrara who recorded 9 wins and 15 placings for a handy $547,000. The Hussonet gelding was raced by the White family’s Robrick Lodge Syndicate managed by Greg White. The young jockey had a dozen rides on the quirky gelding for a win and three placings on city tracks.
“Winning a race for the Whites on the Kensington track was a special thrill,” said Claire. “This happened two years after the sad passing of Geoff White, and it was such a thrill to wear those famous white and purple silks.”
Claire was delighted to wear these famous colours in winning on Hurrara at Randwick 26/07/2014 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Claire won another two year old race at Randwick in the same colours on a royally bred filly called Mine Two in November of 2014 - the I Am Invincible filly’s only win in eleven starts. “It’s a tough game. That filly had a bright future but failed to get over niggling issues and had to be retired.”
The young jockey was disappointed in the middle of 2015 when a three year old called Way We Go from the Gary Frazer stable went amiss after showing great promise. Interestingly his dam Dashoff later produced Spright who won five stakes races for Frazer, including the Group1 Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.
“Way We Go could do plenty wrong but had a ton of talent,” said Claire. “I won two races on him at Warwick Farm and Randwick by handy margins, but we knew problems were developing. He was unplaced in two subsequent runs and that was the finish of him. Very upsetting at the time.”
Other winners to figure prominently in Claire’s scrapbook are Stradazzle, Uncle Sugar, Tramp, Sheer Style, Still The Man, Showmaster, and Enigami. Significantly Enigami was to be her final winner in a BM56 at Port Macquarie in February 2018. “Looking back now it was fitting that my last winner should be trained by Tara and Philippe Vigouroux who had been such loyal supporters throughout my riding career.”
Jockey Claire Nutman announced her retirement after finishing third on Kathaire in a race at Gosford on June 14th 2018. “I really couldn’t see much point in continuing in the ferociously competitive Sydney jockeys arena,” she said. “The wasting, the constant travelling and so few opportunities had worn me down. I had the wonderful option of working for my father and riding as much trackwork as I wanted.”
Her departure from the riding ranks enabled Claire to concentrate on far more important matters. In June of last year she married expatriate South Australian jockey Chad Lever who’d relocated to Sydney six years earlier. The couple married and honeymooned in New York, before returning to Sydney to resume the relentless grind of racing.
Hard work and unquestionable talent have seen Chad establish a strong clientele on the provincial and country circuit. You’ve only got to observe the number of astute trainers who seek his services to realise he’s a very serious jockey.
His new wife already has nine horses on the books. She likes to ride them all in trackwork and is obviously delighted to look after her father’s very small team. “I can’t imagine not riding them on the track,” she says. “It’s so good to get a feel for your own horses which helps you to identify the little quirks many of them develop. If I need to work a couple together Chad’s happy to help out.”
What a combination! Claire with her stable jockey, husband Chad - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
One thing Claire isn’t short of is family support. Richard and Bernadette are there around the clock while grandparents Pat and Paul are on call when needed. Few have a better understanding of racing and its twists and turns than her grandfather Paul Ambrosoli.
The Australian race broadcasting ranks never saw a finer exponent of the craft than Paul Ambrosoli who quietly retired in 2014 after a stellar 45 year years behind the microphone. Although he could call a thoroughbred contest with unwavering accuracy and flair, he rose to unparalleled heights when he trained his binoculars on a field of greyhounds. He was much more than a friend to NSW greyhound racing. To me he was NSW greyhound racing.
When Paul quit the scene at age 70 in 2014, his granddaughter was at her busiest as a freelance jockey. With the luxury of his new found spare time, Paul appointed himself official family chauffeur. He drove Claire to race meetings from the Southern Districts to the Hunter, sometimes two or three times a week.
At twenty nine years of age Claire has some exciting and rewarding years ahead. She’s got the right pedigree and experience has taught her how to handle the highs and lows of an unforgiving business.
Most of all she loves the thoroughbred species from the tips of their tell tale ears to the bottom of their fragile feet.
(Banner image - Grace Bay has been a late bloomer but put it all together to win a Cl 1 at Gundagai last week - courtesy Trackpix Racing Photography.)