Sue Grills had a much shorter day than anticipated at Armidale on Tuesday after having to withdraw Crimson Rose from race seven.
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Crimson Rose was engaged for the XXXX Gold Class 1 Handicap but had a temperature in the morning and was scratched.
It meant that Grills, and apprentice Yvette Lewis, had just the one run for the day - in the opener.
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The trip was still well worth it as Leslie James edged out Rubick's Command in the Iron Jack CG&E Maiden Plate.
Grills said the gelding goes well fresh but was still surprised by the win of Leslie James who was starting its preparation.
"Didn't expect him to beat these here today," Grills told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
"Hope he can keep going. He's a funny horse, a real quirky thing."
Leslie James dropped to the rear of the field and was ridden patiently.
The Tingha-raised Lewis made her move down the straight as she peeled off the fence and got a lovely run through.
Leslie James kept chewing into the margin and to win by 0.23 lengths.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
