Lee is well placed to defend his Harness Racing Victoria concession drivers’ premiership after a string of impressive results in the sulky.

He improved his 2014-15 season tally to 21 wins, 11 seconds and 12 thirds from 90 starts following two race wins in Bendigo yesterday.

That followed four wins at  his home track of Terang on Sunday.

Lee, 19, is saluting in one in every five races.

But it is a long season. Final standings aren’t finalised until the end of August and the emerging driver knows he can ill-afford to become complacent. Lee won the 2013-14 concession premiership after notching 65 wins, 44 seconds and 31 thirds from 294 starts.

That breakthrough season was the impetus for his fast-start to his third campaign — he had his first drive at 16 after leaving school to focus on a career in the sulky — but Lee knows he can improve further.

He labelled his form “a bit patchy”. 

Lee is eager to add a second drivers’ title to his growing resume.

“It’s hard to say what will happen but we’re on the right track,” he said.

“I won it last year so it’d always be good to win again.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to ride a group 1 winner, that’d be good.”

The bulk of Lee’s drives are for his family’s Jilliby stable.

He admits he “can be a bit fussy” when it comes to choosing drives which has given him the best chance to place.

“We have such a good team of horses in work at the moment,” he said.

Lee pays attention to harness racing’s big names.

He knows the way to group 1 wins is through learning from the best.

“I watch the good guys — Chris Alford, Luke McCarthy, Gary Hall jnr, Gavin Lang, Daryl Douglas — and try to pick up little things,” he said.

“(Such as) sometimes it’s better to wait and pick the gap and sometimes you can’t drive a certain horse one way.

“There is always room for improvement.” He has help closer to home too.

Lee works alongside his cousins Glen and Matt Craven — drivers “who have done it all” — while his younger brother Paddy helps him with form guides.

Family is where Lee’s love of trots stems from.

Lee said his grandparents Alice and Harold Craven and Jill Lee were huge supporters of his fledgling career.

Then there is his mother Marg, a trainer who has taken Keayang Cullen to Australian harness racing’s pinnacle —Inter Dominion finals.

His uncles — John, Des, Peter and Harry Craven — help too.

Father Damian and older brother Jack’s allegiances lie with speedway.

But Lee said his dad was proud of his achievements.

“He hardly knows the front end from the back end of a horse,” he joked.

Lee knows some people couldn’t work with their families.

But for him it’s a way of life.

“I love it. Some people say it is hard but everyone has differences in any workplace,” Lee said.

“With a family one I think it is easier — you can have a row one minute and then it’s normal again.

“I like working with my family and have mates who we’ve gone through school together in the stables.”

Lee is contemplating drives at Ballarat on Boxing Day. 

justine.mc@fairfaxmedia.com.au