Lees stable suffers spring carnival blow

Tom Walter - Tuesday September 19

Trainer Kris Lees has lost one of his aces for the remainder of the spring carnival.

Advertisement
Invincible Gem won't be seen again this spring. Photo: Steve Hart

Invincible Gem, an emphatic first-up winner of the Group II Missile Stakes (1200m) in August, will not race again this preparation after enduring a succession of setbacks.

"She had a cough so we had to scratch her from the Tibbie Stakes (at Newcastle) and then it's just been one thing after the other since, so I've decided the best thing to do by her is to just tip her out and start again in autumn," Lees said.

Invincible Gem was shaping as a key Epsom Handicap contender for Lees but the Newcastle horseman is now likely to have only Sound Proposition in the $1 million Randwick mile.

Sense Of Occasion is a "50-50" chance of taking his place in this year's Epsom Handicap after being allocated 56kg at the release of weights on Monday.

The Doomben Cup winner from last season finished fifth in a 1000m barrier trial at Gosford on Tuesday morning.

"I'm just not sure about him carrying that sort of weight in an Epsom so we are also looking at the Hill Stakes (1800m) with him on the same day which is worth a bit of prizemoney ($500,000) now," Lees said.

Meanwhile, a second crack at the Epsom is "highly unlikely" for Le Romain after the gelding pulled up with a dirty throat following a disappointing 11th in the Group I Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday.

Lees has brought Le Romain back to his Newcastle stables as he contemplates the horse's immediate future.

"We'll just see how he goes over the next few days – he could go back down to Melbourne towards the end of the carnival," Lees said.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Stakes Performed Zousain Filly Too Good At Doomben
Third in the Listed Calaway Stakes two starts back, lightly raced two-year-old Zousain filly Sweet Pretender produced the goods at Doomben, charging late to win the Mullins Lawyers QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Plate (1350m).
$1500 Weanling Becomes $525,000 Top Lot at MM National Yearling Finale
A colt by Harry Angel set a new benchmark in Australia for his sire and topped the final day of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale when selling for $525,000 to conclude a hugely successful two weeks of sales.
Pride of Jenni to Visit I Am Invincible - Match Made in Heaven
Three-time Champion Sire I Am Invincible has been confirmed as the first mating for reigning Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year Pride Of Jenni, who will head to the breeding barn this season following a phenomenal racing career.
Third Stakes Success For Justify’s Spicy Martini
A winner of four from six, three at stakes level highlighted by the reschedule Group 3 Fred Best Classic (1350m), the Toby Edmonds & Stephen McLean trained Spicy Martini (Justify) will now head to the Group 1 Stradbroke with just 49.5kgs on her back – not bad for an $8,000 online yearling purchase!
Written By Filly Dominates Warwick Farm Juvenile Contest
First seen at the two-year-old trials back in September, Marc Conners’ chestnut filly Penpel (Written By) produce a quality effort at just her second racetrack appearance, racing clear at Warwick Farm to score by more than three lengths.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday June 4
Here is the full list of 48 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Frosty Girl impressive on debut
The Chris Waller-trained Frosty Girl made the perfect start to her career when coming from last to land the Asahi Super Dry Plate (1300m) on debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
Second Winner For Ghaiyyath As Observer Scores By Five
Second on debut when just three parts of a length off the winner at Pakenham, the James Cummings’ trained Observer (Ghaiyyath) looked sensational as he made a mess of his rivals to score over 1400m in the Tile Importer Handicap on the Sandown Lakeside course.
Blueblood Import - American-Bred Jillaroo Records First Win
Purchased at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Ciaron Maher, the now 4yo mare Jillaroo (USA) (Curlin) initially started her racing career in the United States but after an Australian debut second at Caulfield in early May, recorded her maiden victory at Doomben.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday June 3
Here is the full list of 30 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.