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Kris Lees is considering bypassing Wednesday’s Ramornie Handicap at Grafton with Tactical Advantage in favour of a Melbourne Group 3 weekend mission.
Tactical Advantage drew barrier 14 but will come in a number of stalls if the four emergencies do not secure starts in the $200,000 Listed Ramornie (1200m), and has also been nominated for the Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
"I'll make a decision in the morning which way to go, but there's a good chance the horse will go to Melbourne," Lees said this evening.
"Caulfield looks like being a drier track, and the 1100m suits him better."
Tactical Advantage , the winner of 11 races and more than $1m in prizemoney, has 58.5kg in both races.
He resumed off an outside barrier when ninth to Adelong in the At Sea Handicap (1100m) at Royal Randwick on May 29, and has since trialled at Scone on June 16 when second to Levi's Storm over 900m.
Tactical Advantage has started only once previously at Caulfield when fifth to Miss Leonidas in the Group 2 Sprint (1000m) on Caulfield Cup day when he also drew the outside in a field of nine.
He then won a Listed 1200m sprint at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival at his next run.
Lees hasn't had a lot of runners in Grafton's feature sprint, and his last placegetter was Motspur, who finished third to Jerezana in 2011.
More recently, Intrinsic, a $61 roughie, dead-heated four fourth behind Havasay, beaten only a half-length, in the 2019 edition.
Should Tactical Advantage head south, Lees will still have a number of representatives over the two main days of Grafton's July carnival on Wednesday and Thursday.
His other Wednesday acceptors are Brazen Force (Class 2 Handicap, 1600m), Rider In The Snow and Wild Sheila (Class 6 Rural Plate, 2200m), and Potent View (Class 2 Handicap, 1100m).
Andrew Mallyon rides Brazen Force , Rider In The Snow and Potent View, whilst Wild Sheila may be reserved for a Benchmark 78 Handicap (2200m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Lees' sole Thursday acceptor is Think Free (Aaron Bullock) in the Mother's Gift (1400m).
The five-year-old mare has returned in great form, and was dominant in landing the Wauchope Cup (1450m) at Kempsey on June 20, in which yesterday's South Grafton Cup winner Texas Storm finished sixth.
Lees won last year's Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) with import Sixties Groove, who has been retired, and won't have a runner this year.
. He is looking to start both Chief Ironside and Countofmontecristo in Saturday's Listed Winter Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick.
Chief Ironside hasn't raced since failing in the $1m The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle last November, whilst well-performed Singapore seven-year-old Countofmontecristo was an eye-catching fourth to Adelong in the Listed Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on June 12 at his first start for his new trainer.
