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Last year’s Newcastle Newmarket winner Special Reward is Hawkesbury bound to begin a new campaign on Saturday week.
Kris Lees has earmarked the Listed XXXX Gold Hawkesbury Rush (1100m) at the annual stand-alone meeting for the well-performed sprinter.
"Special Reward has trialled well twice, and the Hawkesbury race looks ideal to kick him off in," Lees said this afternoon.
The former Western Australian five-year-old, who races in the Australian Bloodstock colours, has won eight of his 20 starts.
He landed last year's Group 3 Newmarket (1400m) at Newcastle and later in the year ran an excellent second to Sweet Deal in the $1m The Hunter (1300m), also on his home track.
Special Reward ran second to Golden Tycoon in an 800m Gosford trial on April 7 before winning a 950m trial at home last Monday.
Lees is also considering a Hawkesbury start for last Saturday's Provincial Championships Final winner Cristal Breeze, another member of the Australian Bloodstock team.
"I did nominate him for the $200,000 Tamworth Cup (1400m) tomorrow, but felt it would been too quick backing him up," Lees said.
"He will get plenty of weight in a Benchmark 78 at Hawkesbury, but I might put Sam Clenton on him to claim 1.5kg as it is a metropolitan meeting.
"It's not out of the question we will run him at the stand-alone fixture."
All-Star Mile winner Mugatoo is enjoying a week's break at Lees' Ellalong Farm in the Hunter Valley after contesting Group 1s on both days of The Championships at Royal Randwick.
Mugatoo ran fourth to Cascadian (conceding him 3kg) in the $3m Doncaster Mile on April 10, then finished sixth (beaten just under two lengths) to "British Bulldog" Addeybb in the $4m wfa Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) last Saturday.
"Mugatoo will go to Queensland for the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) on May 22," Lees said.
"That will be his only run at the winter carnival."
. The Anzac Day metropolitan meeting on Sunday will be run on the Kensington track, and Lees has eight acceptors.
He is yet to finalise plans for Regimental Band and Elegant Grace in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m), but will have a strong hand in numbers in the Benchmark 88 Handicap over 1800m.
He starts Aliferous (Hugh Bowman), Muswellbrook Cup winner Itz Lily (James McDonald), Rider In The Snow (Kerrin McEvoy) and High Opinion (Louise Day).
"The two mares Aliferous and Itz Lily are in good form, but have to contend with awkward draws," Lees said.
Sequana (Jason Collett) also has drawn poorly in the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1300m), but is not to be dismissed.
"She is coming out of two runs in Provincial Championships heats at Hawkesbury and Gosford after winning first-up at Scone in February," Lees said.
Safado (Collett) is second emergency for the Benchmark 88 Handicap (1400m), and needs another scratching to secure a start.
"He'll run if he makes the field as he has been runner-up at both his starts on the Kensington track," Lees said.
