Chad Lever had just departed his Hawkesbury base bound for Moruya when he answered his car phone on Sunday morning. The comeback jockey was pretty upbeat after a win on outsider Zoe at Wyong the previous day, but not confident about repeating the dose at the south coast meeting. His three Moruya rides were all at long odds and subsequently finished out of the money. “When I quit race riding in July of 2022 I was completely burnt out and not enjoying going to the races,” said Chad. “It had been five years since I’d moved from Adelaide to Sydney and I hadn’t come up for air. I was always trying to get rid of a kilo or two, and driving enormous mileage to provincial and country meetings. I knew I had to have a break before my health started to suffer.”
Such was his love for thoroughbreds that the Port Augusta born horseman opted to continue riding work for his wife Claire who’d been training for less than two years. Further to that Chad needed little encouragement to jump on the odd stable runner at the regular Hawkesbury barrier trials. At first he’d ride Claire’s horses only. It wasn’t long before other local trainers were starting to seek his services. His weight obviously sneaked up a little, but the constant activity stabilised it at 62 or 63 kgs. The experienced jockey knew he could get back to his riding weight if the bug happened to bite again. For eighteen months he rode regular trackwork and continued to appear at the trials for Claire and the odd random trainer. Hawkesbury trainers had a feeling they hadn’t seen the last of jockey Chad Lever.
It was a long time before the multiple premiership winner felt the urge to ride in races again. Predictably it took the unmistakable feel of a talented horse to trigger the notion. Chad didn’t take a lot of notice when local trainer Darryl Kell asked him to work a lightly raced mare called Mahogany Girl at Hawkesbury one morning. He took a bit more notice when he returned to the horse stalls fifteen minutes later. “I really liked the way she moved and quickly fired a few questions at the trainer,” Chad recalled. “Darryl told me she’d gone amiss after only one start at Wagga more than two years earlier. “She found her way into Darryl’s stable and was showing no sign of the old injury. She was the reason I decided to return to the races and it wasn’t long before I was back in the old groove. Mahogany Girl has won two races at Hawkesbury since resuming with three placings. You’d have to say she was the horse to kick start my career.”
The mare to get Chad back to the races! Mahogany Girl scores an emphatic maiden win at Hawkesbury 24/10/2024 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
For the first few months Chad handled all of the phone enquiries himself but it wasn’t long before many of his former contacts had returned. He’s since appointed the experienced Tony Haining as manager and the results have been significant. Rides are available provided he’s prepared to put in the miles. “For now I’m happy to do that and I’m actually looking forward to getting to the races,” says Chad. “At the time I quit over two years ago I was dreading the thought of getting into the car. The break has done me the world of good. I’ve ridden half a dozen winners with many placings. I’ll be around for a while yet.”
Three of Chad’s recent winners Sizzler, Zenmaster and Zoe are trained by former outstanding jockey Craig Carmody. “First of all he’s a good listener,” said the Randwick trainer. “He listens intently to my pre-race comments and does his best to put them into practice. He’s thoroughly experienced and has a great pair of hands. Add to that his quiet and humble manner. Chad’s a pleasure to deal with and with ordinary racing luck he gets the job done every time.”
Another recent win for the Carmody stable on Zenmaster at Kembla 12/10/2024 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
When young Chad Lever began his apprenticeship with recently retired Leon MacDonald in the late 1990’s he was well down the “pecking order”. Number one stable apprentice was the evergreen Jason Holder, still among Adelaide’s top riders. Number two was the very capable Matthew Paget who retired in 2020 after a fruitful career on the NSW northern rivers. Also on the team was the talented Kathy Brown who would go on to notable success. “Early days I thought I’d be lucky to get a ride in trackwork let alone a race ride,” Chad recalled. “Next thing Jason Holder suffered a broken arm, Matt Paget sustained a knee injury and Kathy Brown broke her pelvis. I went from number four to number one in a few weeks.”
With MacDonald’s unwavering support young Lever’s career took off. He outrode his claim in a matter of eighteen months and went on to win two Adelaide junior premierships. At the completion of his time the young jockey obviously continued his association with McDonald, but was also being used regularly by the strong Richard Jolly stable. It was no surprise when he added two senior premierships to his CV, one of them by a slender margin from Simon Price.
Chad at Gosford in 2014 soon after his arrival from South Australia - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Some time later he was forced to have a knee reconstruction which sidelined him for six months. On returning to the saddle he was quickly back in the winner’s circle but not riding winners at the same consistent rate. For the first time in his short career the young jockey felt the need for a complete change of environment.
By a huge coincidence trainer Sam Kavanagh had just relocated from Adelaide to Sydney and was on the lookout for a suitable stable rider. He moved swiftly when he learned that Lever was also contemplating a stint in the harbour city. “There’s no doubt Sam Kavanagh was the man to get me up and running in Sydney,” said Chad. “I was very saddened when he passed away recently at just 38 after a long illness. I’ll never forget the support he gave me at a crucial stage in my career.”
Chad Lever’s work ethic and his willingness to travel to country meetings soon propelled him into a prominent role among Sydney’s “go-to” jockeys. I recall one week a few years ago when he rode ten winners in eight days for a wide range of stables. Chad won four races during that period on the talented Archedemus including a Provincial Championship Qualifier at Newcastle. He was able to maintain that hectic workload right up to his self imposed hiatus in 2022. There was one notable holiday in 2019 when he disappeared overseas for a few weeks to marry his sweetheart, former jockey Claire Nutman. The present day Mrs Chad Lever had posted 120 winners in a brief but fruitful career in the saddle, and has since proven herself a most astute trainer.
One of Chad's four wins on Archedemus - Rosehill 23/02/2019 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Just five months into phase two of his riding career Chad Lever is in a very good space. He’s probably most comfortable at 57 kgs, but just lately has been handling 55 kgs with no ill effects. From his Hawkesbury base he has fairly easy freeway access to get him to the many tracks he’s currently patronising. Here’s a jockey coming up to his 45th birthday with 1345 winners and a wealth of experience behind him. Perhaps his most fervent wish is that a high quality horse finds its way into the Claire Lever stable sooner rather than later. Between them this husband and wife team will produce the right result.
Mr and Mrs Chad Lever in 2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - Chad gets Zoe over the line for Craig Carmody at Wyong 21/12/2024 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)