News

Lees on a roll and has lucrative Inglis incentives in his sights

18th Jan 2013

Sydney Morning Herald - Chris Roots - Friday, 18 January 2013

IT IS encouraging for any stable to be heading to a metropolitan meeting with four last-start winners, but Kris Lees isn't too fussed about it.

The Newcastle trainer knows how hard racing can be and how glorious it is at the top. However, when asked about the 13 winners and 17 placegetters from his past 50 runners, Lees played down the achievement.

"To have a good run it means you have had a bad run at some time before it or there is one coming," Lees said. "I have a handy team coming to Rosehill but I could come away with nothing, that is the nature of the horses I'm taking, they are chances but nothing that really stands out."

Lees has spent the past two years refining his training methods after adding Ellalong Park to his facilities, plus a water walker, which helps keep horses fresh. The expansion has led to him building a strike rate of better than 20 per cent from just less than 300 runners in the past year. Almost one in two have filled a placings.

"It is something that has given us another string to the bow and it took us a while to work out how to use it properly," Lees said. "It is only 45 minutes to the farm from the stables, we can send horses there for a week to freshen up.

"It took a year to work it out and then the stable sort of was at a point where we had a lot of three-year-olds coming through together, so that helped as well.''

Lees will hunt the big money on offer from Inglis at Rosehill as three-year-old filly Soapy Star chases her second consecutive bonus in a 1500 metre race, while impressive Scone debut winner Devil In A Dress is out to lift the Inglis Classic for horses bought at last year's Classic sale. This year's sale starts at Newmarket this weekend.

Prizemoney has been another reason for Lees's pick-up in strike rate.

"It has made it easier to go to the country because the rewards are there since [Racing NSW] put up the prizemoney," Lees said. "You can start a horse in a little easier grade and let it get its confidence."

Devil In A Dress is a perfect example. "She did a lot of things wrong at Scone but was still able to win," Lees said. "We have put the blinkers on her since that win, she wore them in a [barrier] trial, and it made a positive difference.

"These sales-based races are always a bit hard to line up, but I think if she can run like she did at Scone she will give herself a chance."

A horse at the other end of his career, Motspur, is the odd one out in Lees's team at Rosehill. "He 10 years old and has gone and come back a few times, so is a bit of a stable favourite," he said. "His first-up run was good in the Carrington [when close up in fourth] and he is the sort horse I would love to win another race with because he has been with us for so long."

Whitlam and Project Compassion make up the rest of the team. Recent acquisition Whitlam won his debut for Lees five weeks ago. "He got all the favours that day and will probably need them again," he said. "He races well fresh, so we have kept him fresh and given him a couple of days at the farm. He certainly hasn't gone backwards since the win."

Project Compassion gets her shot at Saturday class after a smart win on New Year's Day.