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Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees is set to play a big hand on the Wyong Gold Cup program on Friday.

Lees won the Wyong Cup two years ago with Slow Pace but won’t have a representative this year in the $160,000 feature race.

However his unbeaten filly Smart Melody (Kerrin McEvoy) resumes in the Springtime Benchmark 74 Handicap (1100m), and Princess Posh (Glyn Schofield), Upscale (Josh Parr) and Milseain (Corey Brown) are set to contest the $125,000 Listed Mona Lisa Stakes (1350m).

A brilliant winner of her only two starts at Newcastle and Canterbury toward the end of her two-year-old season, Smart Melody is all the rage for the Springtime.

“She is taking on all comers this time but I expect her to be hard to beat,” Lees said.

“She has worked well and trialled well and has the inside alley.

“We’ll work out after Wyong whether she goes to Melbourne for her next start or stays in Sydney.

“I’m sure she can run further. Ideally, I’d like to get her to the Thousand Guineas against her own sex at Caulfield on October 13.”

Lees feels Princess Posh, a Brisbane winner in July, is his best chance in the Mona Lisa.

“She is a very genuine mare and races well fresh,” he said.

Upscale is backing up after finishing eighth under 59.5kg at Rosehill last Saturday, and has the rails alley.

Lees is putting ear muffs back on Kiwi mare Milseain, who finished last at Randwick on August 18 at her Australian debut, hoping they will keep her more settled.

Lees also debuts Redoute’s Choice three-year-old Scepter Of Power at Wyong in a maiden against his own sex.

Scepter Of Power has trialled six times between last September and his latest when third over 800m on the Beaumont track on July 27.

“He is a big colt and is a work in progress,” Lees said.

“I am putting blinkers on him to help him focus better.”