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Imported stayer Mustajeer was a notable absentee from Flemington's traditional Breakfast With The Stars on Tuesday morning after trainer Kris Lees switched his Melbourne Cup hope's work to Sandown.
It's a practice Newcastle-based Kris Lees has undertaken previously in the lead-up to Cup week with the former Irish stayer able to work on the Sandown course proper away from a hectic trackwork session at Flemington.
Newcastle jockey Andrew Gibbons made a special trip to Sandown to partner Mustajeer, who galloped over 1600m with stablemate Doukhan ridden by Lees' foreman Cameron Swan.
The pair ran a leisurely 1:49 for 1600m coming home their last 600m in 35.7 seconds. Mustajeer sat off Doukhan before coming away over the concluding stages to convincingly win the gallop.
Damien Oliver wil ride Mustajeer in the Melbourne Cup.
"I was very happy with Mustajeer's work," Lees said. "I'm sure he has made improvement since his good Caulfield Cup run.
"Mustajeer will work again at Caulfield on Friday. It's a matter now of keeping him ticking over for next week."
Lees is hoping the gelding can draw well in Tuesday's $8 million Melbourne Cup after drew awkwardly in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19.
He got well back before finishing solidly into sixth place behind Japanese stayer Mer De Glace.
Mustajeer drops a half kilo in weight in the Melbourne Cup to 55kg and has a 1kg turnaround on Mer De Glace.
Mustajeer will be the only Melbourne Cup runner from the Lees stable.
He has sent Big Duke back to Newcastle while Geelong Cup fourth Red Cardinal will run in either the G 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on Saturday week or be saved for the G2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Sandown a week later.
Lees has entered Tactical Advantage (G2 TAB Sprint) and Aliferous (G1 Empire Rose Stakes) for Saturday's opening day of the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington but at this stage neither is likely to run.
Lees intends keeping the pair for supporting races on Melbourne Cup day.
Tactical Advantage will contest the Listed MSS Security Sprint over the straight 1200m course and Aliferous will run in either the TAB Trophy (1700m) against her own sex or Listed Furphy Plate (1800m).
In Her Time, who resumed when ninth to Yes Yes Yes in the $14 million Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19, is also heading to Melbourne for Saturday week's $2 million Darley Sprint Classic.
She ran second to Santa Ana Lane in last year's 1200m feature after failing to cope with the heavy track when seventh to Redzel in The Everest.
