3 minute read

When you’re on a good thing stick to it.

That's the old saying Atherton trainer Michael Lee has adopted with the booking of Lacey Morrison for Yes Dream in the Open Handicap over 1000 metres at Townsville on Saturday.

Morrison is in peak form and will be out to continue her unblemished record aboard Yes Dream in his final dress rehearsal for next month's Cleveland Bay Handicap at Cluden Park.

Morrison is unbeaten in seven rides on the soon-to-be five-year-old who produced a brilliant performance to win narrowly first-up after a five month break at Cluden Park on May 5.

"Lacey has won on him every time in seven starts so she's on him again," Lee said.

"He's going well this campaign and his last win was amazing.

"It was a very gutsy win over 1000 metres as it's not his distance and he ran great time.

"I think his best distance is between 1200 and 1400 metres and this will be his last run before the Cleveland Bay."

The Malaysian-born Lee is a former restaurateur before he sold his Chinese shop last year to concentrate on training.

He only has a small team of three in work that all are related, including Ruby July, being out of his top broodmare Platinum Ruby.

Yes Dream has won nine of his 13 starts and almost $275,00 in prize money.

The son of Dream Ahead was the subject of a $300,000 offer from Hong Kong in his early days but Lee has no regrets rejecting the bid.

"Looking back, I've got no regrets not selling him," Lee said.

"He had won $200,000 in prize money when I got the offer."

Lee moved to the North Queensland Tablelands at Atherton three decades ago and has been training for more than 20 years.

Lees has sent Yes Dream to Brisbane in the past and fears a Cleveland Bay win could see a permanent move south.

"He's getting up in the weights up here and if he goes on and wins the Cleveland Bay then that would just about see him weighted out here," he said.

Yes Dream showed he was up to metropolitan class when he won in three-year-old grade at Eagle Farm in July last year.

Lee fears his stiffest opposition will come from the Trevor & Peter Rowe-trained Smart Image who is coming off a sixth to the Darryl Hansen-trained Doctor Zous in the Newmarket Handicap at Mackay on July 14.

"Smart Image is a very good horse and he was only beaten three lengths in record time in the Mackay Newmarket," Lee said.

Lee's biggest career win was with tough stayer Regal Punch in the Group 3 Queensland Cup in 2004.