Profitable link with McCreery keeps freelance on the up

Billy Lee is enjoying a good campaign and has every chance of bettering his best score for a season – 43 winners, which he achieved last year. The 30-year-old freelance jockey, who enjoyed the biggest success of his career two years ago when he landed the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Fiesolana, has enjoyed a brace of Group 2 victories this year and his involvement with trainer Willie McCreery has contributed more than 50 per cent of his winners this season. He talks about that association, his career and hopes for the rest of the season.

Tony O'Hehir Your double for Willie McCreery at Killarney on Wednesday took you to 32 winners for the season. You've built up a successful association with the stable over the past few years and 17 of those 32 winners have been for McCreery.
Billy Lee Willie has been very good to me and gives me plenty of rides. I ride work for him twice a week. We get on well and things have been going very well for us this season.

TOH How did you link up with McCreery, who gave you the biggest win of your career in 2014?
BL I'd ridden a few winners for him before I got the chance to ride Fiesolana in the summer of 2013, and it was to become a successful association. It came about by accident as Colm O'Donoghue, who had ridden her to win the Group 3 Ballyogan Stakes at Leopardstown, got injured and I got the ride on her in the Brownstown Stakes at Fairyhouse. She won that Group 3 and I kept the ride when she won the Group 3 Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary and the Group 2 Dubai Challenge Stakes at Newmarket later that season. The following year she struck gold when we won the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, coming late between horses to win by half a length. It was a special day for me. She was very good, the best I've ridden.