3 minute read
The “old firm” is back together, boosting Kris Lees’ confidence he can end his Melbourne spring carnival drought this year.
The leading Newcastle trainer is thrilled to have Hugh Bowman back from Hong Kong – if only briefly – to ride Infancy at Flemington on Saturday.
Luckless at three runs so far this campaign, the Australian Bloodstock-raced mare lines up against her own sex in the Group 3 Furphy Sprint (1100m).
Bowman has ridden nearly 150 winners for Lees, including a couple of Group 1s at Saturday's venue; the 2008 VRC Oaks (2500m) on Samantha Miss and 2016 Cantala Stakes (1600m) on Le Romain.
Lees will have a long wait as Infancy's race is the last of nine at 5.40pm, but he believes it will be worthwhile.
"It's great to have Hugh back for the opening day of the Melbourne Cup carnival," said Lees soon after his own arrival in Melbourne this afternoon.
"We've had a lot of success together, and the old firm can do it again on Saturday.
"Infancy has settled in really well, and her last run at Royal Randwick was a terrific pointer to her prospects returning to her own sex.
"She drew the outside of 15 and came from last at the 400m to finish a close fifth to Ostraka against the "boys" in a Benchmark 94 Handicap (1200m) and ran out of room over the closing stages.
"Even so she ran quicker sectionals that day than Bella Nipotina (third in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes, 1200m and subsequent The Everest winner)."
Whilst Infancy will be Lees' sole runner at Flemington on Saturday, he will start last Saturday's Kembla Grange winner Kind Words there next Saturday and also may start Cloudland on Melbourne Cup day (Tuesday).
"Kind Words will come down for the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) against her own sex on the final day, and Cloudland may run in the Subzero Handicap (the 1400m race for grey horses) on Tuesday," he said.
"We will accept with Cloudland for both Randwick (Benchmark 84 Handicap, 1200m) on Tuesday and the Subzero, and then make a decision which way to go."
Lees will run both Powerful Peg (apprentice Ben Osmond) and Pier Pressure (Craig Williams) in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Blinkers go back on Powerful Peg in an attempt to hoist her back into form.
"Both mares would be chances on their best form, but we need to see them find it," Lees said.
Pier Pressure also was an acceptor for Saturday's Newcastle meeting, but is going to Rosehill.
Lees has two acceptors for Eagle Farm on Saturday, but has named Strapparsi (Class 3 Handicap, 1200m) as unlikely, saying she will most probably go to Ballina on Monday instead for a Benchmark 82 Handicap (1310m).
Uncalledit will definitely line up in the Open Handicap (1400m), and his trainer considers apprentice Cody Collis' 2kg claim is a real bonus.
"If you take Ucalledit's recent Sydney form into account, he surely has a good chance," Lees said.
"He ran fifth and fourth to Tom Kitten and Ceolwulf respectively at Rosehill in August, and then seventh to Here's A Shock (who won again in Sydney) in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap at home in September.
"That's good form for an off-season handicap in Brisbane."