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Lees confident Guineas is within Razeta's reach

3 minute read

It’d be easy to pigeonhole Razeta as a heavy tracker on the back of her easy stakes win during The Star Championships but trainer Kris Lees is adamant that’s not the case.

RAZETA.
RAZETA. Picture: Martin King / Sportpix

While it's true the filly is two from two on heavy ground, Kris Lees said you only need to look at her Listed win from back in November to recognise she's just as effective on firmer going.

So Lees has every reason to believe Razeta, $5.50 with TAB on Thursday, can make it back-to-back wins when she contests the Group 3 $200,000 Blacktown Workers Club Group Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) on Saturday.

"She's trained on well and she's comfortable on better ground. I think she's in a good space,'' Lees said.

"I think she will get a nice run and it looks to set up well. She has a bit of confidence, she's racing at a high level and if she maintains that form she will be competitive."

Razeta's first three runs this autumn were in Group 1 or Group 2 fillies company so perhaps it was the class drop in the South Pacific Classic (1400m) that was the difference.

Lees said the best part of her win was the turn of foot she showed when Dylan Gibbons got her into the clear.

She clocked the fastest last 600m of the race, running 34.91 (Punter's Intelligence), and was just a fraction outside the race's fastest last 200m (12.09).

"She got the right set up, she was a fit filly coming back from a mile but I was really impressed with that last furlong where she was full of running through the line,'' he said.

One horse who does have a reputation as a superior wet tracker is Never Talk though Lees says barrier draws are tending to have a bigger impact on her form.

The mare ran on from near last when runner-up to Zapateo in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) two weeks ago but has another outside alley to contend with in the Group 3 $200,000 Pioneer Services Hawkesbury Crown (1300m).

"What happens with wet tracks is it just puts a few out of play,'' he said.

"She does have a good wet track record but she has a good turn of foot on either ground.

"She just needs things go her way. She keeps drawing these average gates but she's in good order."

Lees said Hosier will only take his place in the Group 3 $200,000 Richmond Club Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) on a soft track though he concedes the six-year-old was disappointing in his first-up run.

He was a beaten favourite after leading in the Muswellbrook Cup on March 31.

Imported mare Night Of Romance has her second local start in the Listed $160,000 Hawkesbury XXXX Gold Rush (1100m) and Lees concedes the trip could be a bit sharp.

The five-year-old contested the Group 2 Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) back in November and has had three spaced trials leading in.

"She's a nice mare, it'll probably be too short for her at the 1100m,'' he said.

"She tends to be a touch aggressive so we thought we'd run her in a shorter race to take a bit of the edge off her. I think she will hit the line well."


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