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The lightly-raced import had only three rivals in a 1200m Open trial on the Broadmeadow course proper yesterday, but beat them convincingly.
With Aaron Bullock up, he began well before settling third on the fence and then clearing out over the last 200m to win by a widening three and three-quarter lengths."
"That was his second trial (his first was at Muswellbrook on July 7 over 1000m), and he's ready to go back to the races," Kris Lees said this morning.
"We'll sort out a suitable resumption race for him in the next couple of weeks."
A rising five-year-old by Iffraaj, English import Luncies has raced only eight times for five wins.
He has had two Australian starts since joining Lees' stable, and created a favorable impression when he carried 60kg to win a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1800m) at Hawkesbury's Saturday stand-alone meeting on May 1.
His benchmark rating was subsequently lifted to 83.
Lees won his first Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) last year with Mugatoo , and naturally would like to repeat that achievement again this year, though obviously not with the latter, who is sidelined as a result of an injury sustained in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) in May.
"Races such as the Newcastle Cup (now worth $250,000 on September 17) and The Metropolitan ($750,000 2400m Group 1 at Royal Randwick on October 2) are the big aim with Luncies, and we'll doing our very best to get him there," Lees said.
. Lees will have two runners at Sunday's Gosford meeting, and both are resuming.
Mystic Gem (Brenton Avdulla) contests the Class 1 Handicap (1000m), and Sammy (Hugh Bowman) lines up in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1200m).
Capitalist filly Mystic Gem scored over 1050m at Doomben in January on debut before finishing eighth to Profiteer in the $2m Inglis Millennium (1200m) at Randwick on February 6.
"She is taking on a number of older horses, but it looks a nice race in which to kick her off," Lees said.
"Sammy has been gelded, and I am training him to get over a trip this preparation.
"As a result, I expect that he will take further improvement from Sunday's outing."
