Phil Lever: Building a Champion Partnership with Billionaire NZPH

Australian Jumping

Phil Lever and Billionaire NZPH (fondly known as ‘Brown’) have become one of the combinations to beat on any given day. It’s a partnership built on trust, patience, and hard work, and one that has firmly put Phil at the top of the sport in Australia.

Growing up in the Lever family, horses were part of everyday life. “It was sort of straight into it from birth,” Phil said. “Dad was always on the road with the team of horses, showing all the time. Mum had the hacks and Dressage horses, and I’ve got three brothers, so we all went straight into horses. A lot of the time we were coming across from Perth with a team and doing shows on the east coast. Then we moved to Europe and did all the shows there with Dad on the circuit. From the get-go, we were born into showing, riding, and jumping. It was good.”

His father, Olympian Laurie Lever, played a huge role in shaping his riding. “Dad was there the whole way along,” Phil explained. “He’s been a great influence, and for him to get to the Olympics and do what he’s done in his career is something you always sort of chase. He helped us with riding and managing horses, and as a father he pushed us to do better. Even now, he always reaches out after shows, whether you’ve had a good result or a bad one, and he picks you up and gets you going again.”

At 18, Phil left Australia to work in Europe, an experience that left a lasting mark. “The first few days were daunting. I landed in Germany, didn’t speak the language, and was straight off to shows helping in the stables,” he recalled. “The Böckmann family really took me under their arm and helped me with everything, especially flat work and riding young horses. Everything I do now, I think back to what they taught me. It really shaped me as a rider.”

Over the years, Phil also absorbed valuable lessons in business and management. “I looked at how those stables treated staff and ran their operations,” he said. “There were things they did really well and things I thought could be better. Frida (Lindgren) and I have used that to mold what we’re doing now. We’re grateful to have great staff who stay with us long term. Each stage of my career, I’ve taken little pieces of the puzzle and tried to build my own.”

Meeting his partner Frida in Europe was another turning point. “We’ve worked for a number of different stables, and we share the same morals in the sport,” Phil said. “We both want to keep our horses and clients to the highest standard, and we just want to keep improving all the time. It works really well.”

That commitment has translated into success with ‘Brown’, the horse that has become his star partner. “He’s a bit of a quirk,” Phil laughed. “It probably doesn’t look like it, but at the start I didn’t have the best connection with him. He ran second at the Australian Championships a few months in, which was fantastic, but I didn’t feel I knew him yet. Now, 12 months later, after winning the Australian Championships, the partnership is so much stronger. He’s gone from being a horse I struggled to get under the time allowed, to one I can be fast with in a speed class or a jump-off. The last few Grand Prix I’ve felt like I can put him anywhere I want in the course and he just lets me ride every stride.”

His second place at Waratah, just behind Sam Overton, showed how competitive the pair have become. “I made my plan with Frida, stuck to it, and it worked to my benefit,” Phil explained. “Of course, with Sam and Gemma coming after me, I knew they’d be quick. But I had in the back of my mind that I needed to balance things with Willinga around the corner and my MER still to get. I didn’t want to sacrifice everything in that class, but I was still really happy with how it went.”

Of course since Australian Jumping interviewed Phil on the ‘All Clear’ Podcast, Phil and ‘Brown’ went on to win the World Cup Qualifier last week in commanding style!

That MER is part of a bigger picture. “We’re not saying yes or no yet, but it’s better to have it in my pocket here in Australia if we do go down the path of a World Championships campaign,” Phil said.

Beyond ‘Brown’, Phil is excited about the depth in his team. “We’ve got a really cool Mini Prix horse, Lomachenko, who’s a lot of fun, and a bunch of younger ones coming through,” he shared. “We’ve also got two really nice horses arriving from Europe that we’re excited about. The seven- and eight-year-olds in the stable now, we believe they’re going to be some really nice.”

The conversation also turned to the future of Australian Jumping on the world stage, echoing a question left by George Sanna in a previous episode of All Clear. Phil’s answer was candid. “How many more Olympic Games are we going to have equestrian in? We don’t know beyond Brisbane,” he said. “So if Brisbane and LA are the last chances we have to win a medal, what would we do to make it happen? We have to chase it now with everything we’ve got. We have fantastic riders, world-class riders. But it’s the horsepower that makes the difference, and we’re on the other side of the world from the sport’s centre. We need pathways that make it more accessible. For me, it’s difficult to run a business in Australia and at the same time base a horse in Europe, but that’s the challenge.”

His advice for the next generation is clear. “Find good owners and backers, and buy the best young horses you can,” he said. “Take your time, produce them well, and keep them sound. We need horses that can go to championships and stay there, not get sold straight after.”

As Phil continues to build his business with Frida and develop the next string of top horses, his focus remains the same: putting in the work every day and striving for the highest standard. “There are no shortcuts,” he said simply. “Early mornings, late evenings, everything you put in, you get back.”

Hear from Phil directly on the ‘All Clear’ Podcast:

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