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Glyn Schofield has been recalled to partner dual Group One winner Le Romain in Hugh Bowman’s absence in the $500,000 Canterbury Stakes at Randwick on Saturday week.

Bowman was aboard when the classy four-year-old humped 61kg to a first-up victory in the G3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 13, lifting his record to five wins and seven placings from only 14 starts.

Bowman also rode Le Romain in his G1 Cantala Stakes at Flemington last spring but was suspended when riding in Hong Kong on Sunday and will be unavailable on Saturday week.

Trainer Kris Lees said Schofield’s past experience with Le Romain was important.

“Glyn won on Le Romain at Randwick last year at his only ride on him,” Lees said.

That win was against his own age as a three-year-old in the Wilkes Quality (1000m) on a heavy track in January last year.

Lees has planned two more starts for Le Romain before he tackles the Doncaster Mile at Randwick on April 1.

Importantly both are under weight-for-age conditions, ensuring he cannot be re-handicapped should he be successful in either or both.

After Saturday week’s Canterbury Stakes he will line up against champion mare Winx in the $1 million George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 18.

Lees says the weight is right for Le Romain in the Doncaster after he was given 55.5kg.

“It’s pretty well what I expected,” he said. “It’s the right weight for the premier 1600m race in the country.”

Le Romain also had 55.5kg when he finished fifth to Hauraki in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick last October and then also carried the same weight when successful in the G1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) at Flemington at the beginning of the Melbourne Cup carnival

The Lees-trained sprinter Guard Of Honour has arrived safely in Melbourne for Saturday’s $500,000 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.

Lees has booked Melbourne apprentice Ben Thompson to partner the three-year-old in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) where the colt has the minimum weight of 50kg.

Guard Of Honour had a number of gallops at Broadmeadow going the reverse direction before being floated to Melbourne and Lees said he handled the work without any problems.

Lees will launch his bid to win the Provincial Championships for a second successive year when the opening qualifier is staged at Wyong on Thursday.

Lees qualified eight of the 15 starters in last year’s $400,000 final (the first three placegetters in each of the five provincial races qualify) and provided the quinella when Danish Twist nabbed Powerline on the post.

He has four acceptors on Thursday – Beretta, Star Reflection, Upstart and Reach For Heaven.

The $400,000 Provincial Championships Final (1400m) will be run at Randwick on April 8.