08-08-2025
One-horse trainer Ross Lavis enjoying ride with Knights Armour as he heads to Royal Randwick on Saturday
He's the one-horse trainer from the tiny Southern Tablelands town of Braidwood taking it to the nation's elite.
Ross Lavis is a name many NSW racing enthusiasts mightn't have been familiar until recently but thanks to his stable star Knights Armour, he's found himself on Sydney's main stage.
A home-bred by Casino Prince, Knights Armour is the only horse Lavis has in work and has proven to be a revelation for the hobby conditioner.
Lavis is a part-owner of Knights Armour with his wife Lynette and sister-in-law Sharon Brodrick, who got a day to remember the last time the gelding came to town on July 18.
Knights Armour highlighted his staying quality with a sustained effort to score in a 2400m Benchmark 78 event at Rosehill Gardens.
TAB Benchmark 78 Handicap (2400m) at Royal Randwick.
'My wife and I just pinch ourselves, we can't believe it,' Lavis said.
'When we first started lining up we were around the bush here and we didn't look much.
'Then we are going to Sydney and going we've got Ciaron Maher, Chris Waller and Annabel Archibald and we are beside them and we rolled a few of them.'
Apprentice Rebecca Bronett Prag has been a crucial part of the Knights Armour story and enjoyed her maiden Saturday Sydney winner when the pair last came to town.
The Swedish jockey has ridden Knights Armour in 17 of his past 20 starts for five victories and will attempt to add to that record this weekend.
'I think she is probably underestimated a bit,' Lavis said of Bronett Prag.
'She has got good balance, she is getting her race timing really good now.
'We had other jockeys on him that haven't turned out where he has over-raced or they've fought with him and things haven't worked out.
'She gets on with him really well.'
