3 minute read

One of the stars of modern Tasmanian racing has run his final race with three-time Newmarket Handicap winner I’m Wesley being retired.

In Brief

• Three-time Newmarket winner retired.
• Trainer exercises caution with his star.
• Owner looks after Wes in retirement.

The gelded son of I Am Invincible and Daniela made history by winning Tasmania's premier sprint race in successive years across 2017, 2018, 2019 and he went agonizingly close to adding a fourth in the 2021 Newmarket where he was beaten a half-length by Deroche, a race he entered after not facing the starter for 661 days.

It was an outstanding performance from trainer Glenn Stevenson to have the horse ready to fire after such a lengthy lay-off, but Stevenson advised his long-time stable star was a spent force come the Conquering Stakes, which would ultimately be his last career start.

"We really put a lot of work to get him into the Newmarket first-up, a lot of gallops and a lot of jump-outs," Stevenson told host Cam Luke on SEN's Tasracing Talk.

"For a horse that had been off the scene so long we thought we had him right and I probably made a mistake sending him to the Conquering," added Stevenson.

As had been the case throughout the career of I'm Wesley which included 15 wins from 49 starts with $589,300 in prize money, Stevenson let the horse tell him where to go next and, in this case, there was nothing left for the nine-year-old to achieve.

"He pulled up alright from the Conquering but after a gallop a week after he just had a little bit of heat in his good leg and we decided then that it was time," said the Wesley Vale-based trainer.

I'm Wesley has taken connections on a ride of a lifetime and it's one of his owners, Ben Holland, who will be looking after "Wes" in retirement.

"One of the owner's wives, she's in the pony club, so he's going to go through the system, but he's retired sound which is an amazing thing."