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MarketT framers have made Stella Sea Sun a clear early favorite over stablemate Occupy for Saturday’s opening Newcastle 1400m qualifier of the 2020 Provincial Championships.
But Kris Lees is adamant there should not be such a marked difference ($3.70 and $7 respectively) between the pair.
Lees has four acceptors – the others are Jack's Bar (Chad Lever) and Da Power (Koby Jennings) – though the former is not yet a certain starter because of an awkward draw.
Apprentice Sam Clenton is reunited with Occupy – the pair teamed to win the Summer Provincial Final (1600m) at Gosford in late December – and Andrew Gibbons partners Stella Sea Sun.
"Obviously the top two in the market (Stella Sea Sun and Occupy ) are my picks," Lees said this afternoon.
"If anything I've got a slight preference for Occupy.
"The 1400m might be a bit short, but I've kept him as fresh as possible and I'm sure he will be strong late.
"On the other hand, the 1400m might be as far as Stella Sea Sun wants, especially as she hasn't raced for six weeks.
"But she did have a nice 1000m trial on the Beaumont track last week."
Though there is a current difference between Stella Sea Sun and Occupy for Saturday's qualifier, the stablemates are on the second line of betting at $15 for the $500,000 Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 11.
Lees has won nine qualifying races in the five years since the series was launched in 2015 and twice won the final (with Danish Twist in 2016 and Serene Miss in 2018).
He has decided to start Da Power without blinkers on Saturday and the gelding will wear a barrier blanket for the first time.
Lees' other home track runners are Snitzari (900m 2YO Maiden Plate), Frozen In Time (900m Class 2 Handicap), Solano (1500m Maiden Handicap), Mandirigma (1200m Class 1 Handicap) and Game Of Thorns (1400m Benchmark 64 Handicap).
Gibbons also rides Snitzari and Mandirigma, Clenton also rides Solano (blinkers off), and apprentice Louise Day has the mounts on Frozen In Time and Game of Thorns.
Lees is expecting Snitzari (who was also an acceptor for Monday's Armidale Cup meeting) to be hard to beat on the strength of an excellent debut fifth, after showing pace, to Supreme Idea in the Listed Lonhro Plate (1000m) at Randwick on February 15, and Game Of Thorns to run well first-up.
The Animal Kingdom filly was rested after finishing a close second to another filly Asiago in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle on November 16 at the inaugural The Hunter meeting.
"Game Of Thorns has drawn awkwardly, but will get back and I feel she will run well fresh," Lees said.
. Lees has eight runners at Saturday's meeting at Doomben, with two representatives each in the Benchmark 90 Handicap (2000m) and Members' Cup (1600m).
Mawaany Machine (Larry Cassidy) and Mongolian Wolf (Andrew Mallyon), the latter scratched from the corresponding Royal Randwick fixture, contest the former race and Hallelujah Boy (Mallyon) and Turnberry (Cassidy) line up in the latter.
Lees decided to back up Turnberry after the gelding finished a game second at Eagle Farm last Saturday with 4kg more, but feels topweight and accomplished wet tracker Hallelujah Boy is still the one to beat.
He also considers two-year-old filly Redoute's Image (Mallyon) will be hard to beat in the Jewel Prelude (1110m) against her own sex.
"She ran into a very smart youngster (the unbeaten gelding Rothfire) when fourth at Eagle Farm a fortnight ago at her first run since finishing second in the Max Lees Classic at home in mid November," Lees said.
"We'll ride her more positively this time from a favourable draw."
Lees' other Doomben starters are Mummentum (1600m Class 3 Plate), Snowzone (1200m Jewel Prelude 3YO Plate) and Wandabaa (1110m Benchmark 75 Handicap).
Snowzone has been in great form since returning as a gelding, winning three of his five starts this campaign.
