Gary Harley
Newcastle trainer Kris Lees trained four of the ten winners at the Cystic Fibrosis race meeting on his home track on Saturday. Two of his winners Poshy’s Girl and Agraffe Rocket are raced by syndicates put together by the trainer’s largest client Australian Bloodstock. Lees who has the biggest Provincial track stable is in his twenty third year of training after taking control of the Lees Racing Stable since the death of his father the late great Max Lees in 2008. Saturday’s quartet took his tally of career winners to 2,917.
Lees wasn’t at the Newcastle meeting, however he would have been elated with 4-year-old mare Poshy’s Girl in the 1200-meter Independent Mobility & Rehab Maiden Handicap. Lees trained Poshy’s Girl dam Princess Posh, a stable favourite, which won Group 3 Tibbie Stakes and Group 3 Newmarket at Newcastle in 2018 and 2019, and she was placed in Group 1 events in Sydney and Brisbane.
Poshy’s Girl was runner up in her three previous starts at Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and Taree. Jean Van Overmier was aboard the mare for the first time on Saturday and after she jumped well the jockey eased her back to third last. With plenty of room on the rails in the home straight Overmier took the short cut in the straight and she won by a nose.
Stablemate Agraffe Rocket completed a double on the marathon ten race program when he steered the $2 favourite to a half length victory in the 1400metre Hunter Street Chambers Maiden Plate down in class after two recent placings at Scone and on the Kensington track the three-year-old son of Lees 2018 The Everest runner Graff was last to leave the barriers but he was allowed to quickly cross into fourth place before taking the lead half way down the straight. He was tough late holding on to beat Chris Wallers Artgirl by half a length.
Lees talented mare Oakfield Neptune heavily backed into $1.85 continued her love affair with her home track with a tough win carrying 60 kilograms in the 1200 metre Cystic Fibrosis Benchmark 64 Handicap. Ridden by Grant Buckley the mare unbeaten in there starts at Newcastle on rain affected tracks was quick you begin and sat outside the leader until halfway down the straight. The 4-year-old sprinted clear to win just under a length. Lees other winner was Rumdabar an impressive two-year length winner in the Colts second start in the 1300 metre Peabody 2-year-old Handicap. He was backed from $4.40 into $3.90.
Liberty Smyth who moved from Queensland to start her apprenticeship with Nathan Doylr stable late last year notched up her 25th win aboard Port Macquarie trained eight-year-old Auzstar in the final event the 1400 metre Mattara Dry Cleaning Benchmark 68 Handicap. it was the Marc Quinn trained geldings tenth win after a close second in his previous start at Newcastle on June 6.
The Newcastle track rated a heavy 8 on Saturday was upgraded to a soft 7 after race 6.