Lees Makes A Run At Wagga Cup

3 minute read

Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will break new ground on Friday with his first runner in the $170,000 Wagga Gold Cup.

Lees, firmly established among Australia’s leading trainers, is sending High Opinion back to his old stamping ground at Wagga with Sydney jockey Tim Clark to be reunited with the seven-year-old.

“High Opinion is owned in the area and the owners would like to see him have another crack at the Wagga Cup,” Lees said.

“He will be floated to Wagga on Thursday and returned to Newcastle on Saturday.”

High Opinion began his career at Wagga with trainer Chris Heywood and was placed in the 2015 Murrumbidgee Guineas as a three-year-old.

At his last start for Heywood before being transferred to Lees the gelding ran 12th to Messene in the 2016 Wagga Cup.

Lees has since won two city races with High Opinion at Canterbury and Rosehill over 1900m and 2000m with Clark his rider in both wins.

After those wins a tendon injury kept High Opinion off the scene for nearly a year. He is now on the comeback trail and has been placed at his last two starts in benchmark races at Eagle Farm.

He finished third with 57kg to Kubis over 1800m on March 23 and then was narrowly beaten with 59.5kg by Winning Ways over 2000m on April 13.

The Wagga Gold Cup has attracted a capacity field of 16 plus six emergencies. High Opinion has drawn barrier 11 but will come in three gates if the emergencies do not gain starts.

Lees is targeting the Doomben feature double next month after confirming a start for talented sprinter Tactical Advantage in the $800,000 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) on Saturday week.

He has nominated eight horses for the second leg of the double, the $700,000 Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 18.

Tactical Advantage was responsible for an excellent performance under 59.5kg when resuming at the Hawkesbury meeting last Saturday. He made a long run wide on the track and was just edged out by Intuition in the Listed Hawkesbury Rush (1100m).

“He has come through that race really well and deserves his chance in a Group 1 sprint in Brisbane,” Lees said.

Lees has nominated Aliferous, Articus, Big Duke, Gem Song, Hallelujah Boy, Saunter Boy, Sixties Groove and Take It Intern for the Doomben Cup.

At this stage his likely starters are Gem Song, Big Duke and Sixties Groove.

He is keen to give classy three-year-old Gem Song his chance to snare a G1 win but has decided against backing him up in Saturday’s $500,000 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast.

Gem Song easily won the G3 Gunsynd Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday against his own age at set weights, lifting his impressive record to five wins from nine starts.

Lees is looking at running him in the Listed Members’ Handicap (1600m) at Doomben on Saturday week as his lead up to Cup a week later.

Big Duke has been freshened since finishing 10th to Shraaoh in the G1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 13.

Last year’s Moe Cup winner Sixties Groove had his first start since joining Lees’ team at Hawkesbury last Saturday, finishing an excellent third to Archedemus in the G3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m).

Lees will rely on last start Doomben winner Hallelujah Boy (Matt McGillivray) in Saturday’s Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast..

He is also hoping to win the Bat Out Of Hell (900m) at the feature Gold Coast meeting with Guard Of Honour for the second year running while Grand Bouquet and Hammoon Ballad will be his acceptors for the Gold Coast Bracelet (1800m).

They have also been nominated for the Kensington and Newcastle meetings on Saturday in case they do not make the field.