LEES CLEANS UP AT RANDWICK – AND MORE TO COME?

A 19^th Group 1 triumph and a sixth Provincial-Midway Championships Final!

And Kris Lees’ Cup may not have runneth over yet either.

Having clinched a $2m Sydney Cup (3200m) victory with Changingoftheguard and $1m PMC Final (1400m) with Lord Of Biscay at Royal Randwick yesterday, the leading Newcastle trainer isn’t resting on his laurels.

He has announced his intention to try to qualify Lord Of Biscay for another attempt at the $3m Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick in November, and is considering keeping Changingoftheguard going for Brisbane in winter.

Lees’ victory with heavily backed Lord Of Biscay ($3.50 favorite) in the PMC Final (1400m) was his sixth in 12 years the annual feature has been run, whilst import Changingoftheguard’s $51 all the way triumph in the Sydney Cup (3200m) gave him a second success two decades apart, having scored with County Tyrone in 2006.

The latter gave him his maiden Group 1 success in the 2004 The Metropolitan, also at Randwick.

Day 2 of The Championships has certainly been kind to Lees.

Not only has he now won six PMC Finals, but Lucia Valentina trounced her opposition in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in 2016.

Relishing the pace, Lord Of Biscay steamrolled his rivals in the PMC Final, defeating stablemate Imposant ($19) and last year’s winner Matcha Latte ($4).

Remarkably, the placings were filled by the same three horses as last year – but in totally different order.

Matcha Latte defeated Lord Of Biscay and Imposant in 2025.

“Lord Of Biscay will go next to the $200,000 Tamworth Showcase Cup (1400m) on Friday week,” Lees said today.

“That is a Big Dance Eligibility race.

“It won’t be an easy race to win, but Lord Of Biscay is in great form at present.”

This is a different route Lees is taking to attempt to qualify Lord Of Biscay for the Big Dance at Randwick on the first Tuesday in November.

Prior to being runner-up in last year’s PMC Final, he had already won the Ballina Cup (1590m) in similar style to yesterday’s performance.

Lord Of Biscay ran seventh as a $12 chance to Gringotts in last year’s Big Dance, after being 13^th at the 400m.

Lees’ plan to put blinkers back on Changingoftheguard, coupled with the firmer surface, led to the gelding’s thrilling victory over Soul Of Spain ($8) and last month’s Adelaide Cup runner-up Highland Bling ($17).

The rising eight-year-old ran a great race in blinkers when ninth in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington last November, and they went back on after his three unplaced runs this preparation.

“We’ll let the dust settle for a few days and then make a decision about Brisbane,” Lees said.

Changingoftheguard, who races in the famous Lloyd Williams colours, is raced by a syndicate which includes the trainer’s close friend Edward Throsby and Brisbane Racing Club chairman Richard Morrison.

No doubt the latter would fancy seeing the gelding line up in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on June 13.

Along with Changingoftheguard (above) and Lord Of Biscay, Lees also finished second in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m) with $51 outsider Infancy.

She won the race last year, and finished strongly again yesterday to be beaten three-quarters of a length by In Flight ($15).

Lees’ victories with Changingoftheguard ($1,155,000), Lord Of Biscay ($540,000) and Infancy’s second ($56,000) earned him 10 per cent (just over $175,000).

A nice day at the “office” indeed.

Newcastle apprentice Liberty Smyth also had a special weekend.

The 29-year-old only began her career – on Lees’ Antilopini at Coffs Harbour on December 27 last year – won today’s Big Dance Eligibility Wellington Cup (1700m) on topweight Perfumist.

Trainer Bjorn Baker booked the young woman to take advantage of her 3kg country claim, reducing Perfumist’s 64kg handicap, and she didn’t let him down, getting the $1.90 favorite home narrowly.

Smyth, an experienced horsewoman even though she has just started riding in races, has now ridden 15 country winners. Her 3kg allowance will lessen further after five more wins.

Smyth’s “stablemate”, fellow Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn, also was successful at the Cup meeting, taking the Town Plate (1100m) on Chandon Star ($9.50).

STORY JOHN CURTIS, APRIL 12, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS