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Kris Lees is pinning his Group 1 hopes squarely on In Her Time’s shoulders at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Lees this afternoon named the soon to be retired mare as his sole representative in the four Group 1s to be contested on the opening day of The Championships.
The dual Group 1 winner will line up in the $1.25m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), and Brenton Avdulla will ride her.
Lees will not have a representative in the Doncaster Mile, Australian Derby or Inglis Sires.
This will be the now seven-year-old In Her Time 's second crack at the TJ Smith, having finished an outstanding third two years ago to Trapeze Artist and dual The Everest winner Redzel.
She gave away a big start and motored to the line after being last of the 11 runners at the 400m.
In Her Time, with Zac Purton aboard, had won the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens a fortnight earlier.
Lees is following an identical path to the TJ Smith, trialling her once (at Wyong on March 2) before she finished an excellent sixth to I Am Excited (who carried 3kg less) in The Galaxy at Rosehill on March 21.
She held her ground strongly then, and was beaten only 2.4 lengths.
"In Her Time has done well since The Galaxy and deserves another shot at the TJ Smith," Lees said this afternoon.
Whilst he will not have runners in the other Group 1s on Saturday, he is looking at three likely starters – Attention Run, Raheen House and Saunter Boy – in the Group 2 Chairman's Quality (2600m).
The trio will be on trial to join stablemate Mustajeer, who chased gamely when runner-up to Verry Elleegant in last Saturday's Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill, in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on Saturday week.
Nash Rawiller rode him in the Tancred and retains the mount in the Cup, where the former Irish stayer drops 1.5kg to 57.5kg.
Danceteria , who showed dash in a mid-race Tancred move before finishing eighth, is likely to be kept for the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick on April 18.
Last Saturday's Wyong winner Elisa Carolina will back up in Saturday's Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m), but Game Of Thorns (sixth to Shout The Bar in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes, 2000m at Rosehill) will go on to the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) on Saturday week.
Regimental Band will contest Saturday's Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes (1200m), and perhaps also pacy filly Iconic Star, who gave a great sight when third under a big weight on wet ground at Wyong last Saturday.
Recent winners Chianti and Zeftabrook are under consideration to run in the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) for two-year-olds.
. Lees will have seven runners in tomorrow's final Wyong $150,000 qualifier of the 2020 Provincial Championships, which has been added to the mammoth Newcastle program after it was unable to be run last Saturday because of the wet conditions.
He has withdrawn Jack's Bar , who instead will run in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1200m) against his own sex, giving Lees' first emergency Siesta Key (Luke Cumberland) a start.
Ruling favorite Asharani, Stella Sea Sun, Great Danger and Enchanted Heart are already in the $400,000 Final (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday week, and the first three placegetters tomorrow will complete the 15-horse field.
