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Wells Team Grows In Size On Sunday

3 minute read

The father/son training partnership of Leon, Dean & Trent Wells are ever present at most Tasmanian thoroughbred race meetings and their family presence will grow on Sunday when Dean’s daughter Chloe Wells makes her racetrack debut as a jockey in Devonport.

Only the state's leading trainer Scott Brunton has saddled up more runners this season than Team Wells but for Hall of Fame trainer Leon Wells, Sunday's nine-race program will be hard to top.

"It's Mothers day and to see Chloe have her first couple of rides, it will be a special day," said Leon Wells, Chloe Wells grandfather.

Chloe Wells, 20, will be indentured to Team Wells and has ridden in around 50 trials to gain experience, though her grandfather Leon says that being a jockey is something Chloe wanted to do long before she appeared at the trials.

"Chloe's done a very good job and she's come a long way.

"She just loves horses and she's been riding work for a long time. She's very small and light so she's headed down that path and we wish her nothing but the best," said Leon on Chloe who follows in the footsteps of her uncle Trent Wells who was a successful jumps jockey.

Incidentally Chloe Wells will be one of two apprentices having their first rides on Sunday, Erica Byrne Burke, 22, will ride for Adam Trinder with both apprentices able to claim 4kg and accept two rides for the program.

Leon Wells gives outside chances to the two horses that Chloe will ride, Gee Gees Cricket (race 6) and Schazem (race 9), stating that their racing pattern should suit a young rider.

"They're both each-way chances, they're both horses that race forward and for young kids when they first start riding it's a good way to be."

It will be a busy day for Team Wells with 11 acceptors spread across five of the nine races. Gee Gee Baracus (race 2) shapes as one of the standout bets on the card and Leon Wells agrees that the three-year-old gelding will be very hard to beat.

"He was enormous the other day, if he drew inside, he probably wins," said Leon referring to the last start fourth of Gee Gee Baracus over 1150m.

"The only reason he ran in that race is otherwise you're a month between runs, but he's done well since and we think he'll run well," the trainer added.

Of the other runners from Leon Wells' Brighton stables, the trainer says last start winner Gee Gees Teardrop (race 9) has a good chance of making it two in a row.

"He's going well, he can't go any better.

"I don't think he's any star by a long way, but he gets out and tries and he just loves Devonport."