Kris Lees will have a third of the field in the $400,000 Provincial Championships Final following Animate's dominant win in the rescheduled $150,000 Wyong heat at Newcastle on Tuesday.
Animate is the fifth horse from Lees' powerhouse Newcastle stable to book a spot in the rich final next week after claiming the last heat in the series.
Lees had seven of the 16 starters in the heat, which had to be moved to his home track after being washed out at Wyong and got the prize with progressive gelding Animate.
The son of former Arrowfield shuttler Animal Kingdom (USA) charged home from back in the field to win by three-quarters of a length taking his overall record to four wins and two placings from six starts with prizemoney in excess of $155,000.
A $115,000 Magic Millions purchase for Australian Bloodstock from the Arrowfield draft, Animate is the second winner from stakes-placed Redoute’s Choice mare Flowerchild, a three-quarter sister to Group II winner Wild Rain, whose first foal is in Inglis Easter for Cressfield as Lot 285.
