Lees two-pronged in Parramatta Cup

Novacastrian trainer Kris Lees will have four Rosehill runners split across two races.

Trainer : KRIS LEES
Trainer : KRIS LEES Picture: Steve Hart

A pair of stablemates at double-figure odds could be the knockout runners in the Listed Parramatta Cup with their trainer not dismissing the winning chances of either horse.

Kris Lees will saddle up two-time Group winner Kalapour ($15) and Almania ($14) in Saturday's 1900-metre feature and he can make a case for both.

Kalapour was spelled after finishing down the track in the Melbourne Cup, a race that came at the end of a busy period encompassing a winter carnival campaign in Brisbane and an early-season kick off in the spring.

However, he has run well fresh in the past and Lees has been pleased with his build up.

"He can race well fresh and he's in good order," Lees said.

"He had a long, tough year of racing last year, but he'd been off for a while before that.

"He will no doubt improve off the run, but he could react well fresh."

Kalapour holds a nomination for the Sydney Cup (3200m) but Lees is unlikely to go down that path, instead leaning towards giving the seven-year-old a relatively soft campaign in preparation for a more demanding back-end of the year.

"I don't know if I will go to two miles with him this prep. He will probably have a lighter preparation and a busier spring," he said.

Almania is a winner over the Parramatta Cup (1900m) course and distance and will tackle Saturday's race at his second campaign run.

He was having his first start in 10 months when sixth behind Floating over 2000 metres at Randwick in January and was given a subsequent barrier trial to keep his fitness up to the mark.

Lees believes that has brought him on nicely for Saturday and the gelding has proven his wares in stakes grade before, placed in Listed company overseas and beaten less than a length when fifth in the Group 3 N E Manion Cup (2400m) in March.

"With a prep run under his belt and a trial in between, he could easily run a race there," Lees said.

"We're testing him in better company, but he's a horse we've always had a bit of time for, he is quite capable on his day."

Lees will also have dual representation in the Yarraman Park Handicap (1400m) with both Ucalledit and the in-form Kinloch using the race as a springboard into their local feature, the Group 3 Newcastle Stakes (1400m) on March 8.

Kinloch is the more fancied of the two at $6.50 and if he can strike the right conditions, Lees expects him to be launching on the leaders late.

"He needs favours, he needs a hot speed and different things because he is a backmarker as a rule. But that said, he's going well," Lees said.

 


Racing and Sports



Rosehill

Saturday, 24th February 2024

6
15:25
(local)

YARRAMAN PARK HANDICAP

Age: 3yo and up WT: 52.5kg Type: BM100
AUD $160,000
1400m TURF SOFT
6
15:25
(local)
AUD $160,000
1400m SOFT

YARRAMAN PARK HANDICAP

Age: 3yo and up WT: 52.5kg Type: BM100
FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 5. WELWAL (GB) 5yo G
SHALAA (IRE) - CHERIEARCH (USA)
KERRIN MCEVOY
CHRIS WALLER
$18
58.5kg
Al Shaqab Racing

Sales Information

2nd 11. ROBUSTO (AUS) 4yo G
CHURCHILL (IRE) - SHE'S CLEAN (AUS)
JAMES MCDONALD
CHRIS WALLER
$3.75
55.5kg
Ingham Racing (Mgrs: Ms L J Ingham, J A Ingham, R C Ingham & Mrs D N Kepitis)
3rd 3. PALMETTO (NZ) 5yo G
GHIBELLINES (AUS) - CAROLINA ISLAND (NZ)
MS MOLLY BOURKE
J G SARGENT
$8
58kg
C R Smith, C E Holt, B M Fechney, C C Rycroft, D A Berry, I J Ryan, M R Taylor, I G Baylis, M C Stokes, G Griffiths & D C McLachlan

Sales Information

4th 10. FAWKNER PARK (IRE) 5yo G
ZOFFANY (IRE) - ZA'HARA (IRE)
JASON COLLETT
ANNABEL NEASHAM
$16
55kg

Sales Information

5th 7. THALASSOPHILE (AUS) 5yo M
NOT A SINGLE DOUBT (AUS) - SPANISH LAKE (AUS)
TOMMY BERRY
CHRIS WALLER
$20
56.5kg

Sales Information

6th 13. MARQUESS (NZ) 5yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - PURPLE (AUS)
ZAC LLOYD
JAMES CUMMINGS
$3.6
52.5kg
7th 2. UCALLEDIT (NZ) 6yo G
ZACINTO (GB) - SPECIAL BAY (AUS)
BENJAMIN OSMOND
KRIS LEES
$41
59.5kg

Sales Information

8th 8. LITTLE MIX (AUS) 5yo M
MAHISARA (AUS) - GIRLS ALOUD (AUS)
DYLAN GIBBONS
ANNABEL NEASHAM
$51
56kg
9th 6. KINLOCH (AUS) 6yo G
I AM INVINCIBLE (AUS) - MORE BEAUTIFUL (AUS)
NASH RAWILLER
KRIS LEES
$6.5
58kg

Sales Information

10th 14. PREMISE (NZ) 4yo M
CONTRIBUTER (IRE) - SHARP PROPOSITION (NZ)
TYLER SCHILLER
JOHN O'SHEA
$101
52.5kg

Sales Information

11th 1. STOCKMAN (NZ) 7yo G
TAVISTOCK (NZ) - CRIMSON (NZ)
REECE JONES
JOSEPH PRIDE
$71
62.5kg

Sales Information

12th 12. VRENELI (AUS) 6yo G
WANDJINA (AUS) - HELVETIA (AUS)
AMY MCLUCAS
G WATERHOUSE & A BOTT
$9.5
52.5kg

Sales Information

13th 9. BLONDEAU (AUS) 6yo G
I AM INVINCIBLE (AUS) - BIT OF CHEEK (AUS)
TIM CLARK
CHRIS WALLER
$61
56kg

Sales Information