Imagine That a family affair for Devine stable

By Glenn Davis   

It’s been almost a year since promising apprentice Jaimee-Lee Devine celebrated her maiden win on Imagine That on her first day of riding at Thangool in Central Queensland.

Fast forward to now and Jaimee-Lee will reunite with Imagine That as the mare chases her eighth career win in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1200 metres at Mackay on Tuesday.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since Jaimee-Lee celebrated her breakthrough win on Imagine That who is trained by her father, Jason Devine at Thangool.

“She was still at school when she rode her first winner but she’s now completed Grade 12 and has gone on loan for three months to Raymond Williams at Emerald,” Jason said.

“She’s ridden 19 winners now and one more will see her lose her three-kilo claim.

“Jaimee-Lee has won three times on Imagine That and she’s done all the hard work on this mare to get her to where she is now.”

Imagine That was a “give-away” from the Grant Allard stable in Brisbane and has since gone on to win seven times for Jason.

“She started off with the John Hawkes stable in Sydney and that’s where I met Grant and her previous owner,” Jason said.

“I used to ride a lot of trackwork for the Hawkes’ when I was a jockey and used to ride their former champion Lonhro in his work.

“Imagine That was sent to Grant (Allard) at Deagon but one day a track rider got off her and said she wasn’t good enough so Grant gave her away to me to train.”

Although Jaimee-Lee is now with Williams in Emerald, her father has no regrets watching her move on.

“I’ve only got three in work now so Raymond offered to take her on for a three-month loan,” Jason said.

Imagine That has been in a purple patch of form winning three of her past five starts and is coming off a last start win when Jaimee-Lee rode her in a Benchmark 60 race at Thangool in the middle of February.

“She’s been racing very well and she’s got a good barrier so she should be hard to beat again,” Jason said.

“It’s a real family affair for us as I train her, my daughter is riding her and my wife, Edwina and I own her.

“She’s a monster of a mare and she takes up two bays on the float to take her to the races.”