LEES’ DUAL SCONE CUP BID

KRIS Lees has given Loch Eagle three trials in preparation for a first-up tilt at tomorrow’s $200,000 Scone Cup.

Seeking his second win the Listed 1600m feature, which carries eligibility for the $3m Big Dance over the same distance at Royal Randwick in November, the leading Newcastle trainer will have two representatives.

Lees will saddle both Loch Eagle (Dylan Gibbons) and Tavi Time (Jay Ford), hoping to replicate Rustic Steel’s triumph in 2022 from a soft draw.

Fellow iconic Newcastle trainer Paul Perry won last year’s Cup with Sky Lab (Koby Jennings).

Whilst it’s the first time Loch Eagle has kicked off a campaign at 1600m, he has won twice first-up and actually began his career over 1400m at Hawkesbury in October 2021 when runner-up in a Maiden Plate as an odds-on favorite.

“I felt the 1300m of the Luskin Star Stakes at Scone on Saturday was too short for him,” Lees explained this morning.

“He has had the three trials, and won his latest over 1200m on the Beaumont track last week.

“Obviously it’s a strong race as it always is, but Loch Eagle has had enough grounding to tackle 1600m first-up.

“Like Rustic Steel, both he and Tavi Time have drawn well in the big field, and I’m expecting both to run good races, with perhaps a preference for the latter.

“Tavi Time has race fitness having had the two runs back, and wasn’t far away on heavy ground in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup (1600m) a fortnight ago.

“He will appreciate getting back on to better ground.”

Lees also has Aged Care (Class 1 Handicap, 1100m), Brave Call (Class 1 Handicap, 1600m) and Tasoraay (Class 2 Handicap, 1300m) racing at Scone tomorrow on the first day of the carnival.

“Aged Care is resuming and coming up nicely,” Lees said. “His five career runs have all been good, and he has drawn nicely and should run well.

“Brave Call is a lightly-raced UK import having his first start for us as a gelding.

“He is a nice type who has drawn poorly, and will definitely take benefit from this run having not raced since August last year.

“Tasoraay also is resuming and hasn’t drawn the best either, but can run really well if he gets the right set-up.”

Lees will have at least six runners at Saturday’s second day of the carnival, and will wait until Saturday morning before deciding if last week’s Takeover Target Stakes runner-up Brudenell backs up in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m).

He has opted for blinkers on New Zealand filly Love Poem (Ben Osmond) in the Group 3

Dark Jewel Classic (1400m), in which he also runs Provincial-Midway Championships Final placegetter Imposant (Andrew Gibbons).

“Love Poem never got into the Hawkesbury Guineas last time, and I’m hoping the blinkers will enable her to take up a more forward position,” Lees said.

“Her New Zealand form was good enough to give her another chance.

“Whereas Love Poem has drawn well, that’s not the case with Imposant, but she has done well since the PMC Final.”

Lees also runs Wollzeile (Damien Thornton) and Odaka (Andrew Gibbons) in the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m), Kind Words (Benchmark 78 Handicap, 1700m), and Alliri (Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes, 1100m).

“Wollzeile and Odaka are both nice two-year-old fillies resuming,” he said. “This is a good starting point and being placed is not beyond them,” he said.

“Kind Words is fitter and getting to a distance she can handle. Ben’s 2kg claim helps, and she just needs some luck from an awkward barrier to play a part in the finish.

“Alliri is resuming and right up in grade, but has been trialling well and deserves her chance to get some black type.”

Miss Busslinger (Andrew Mallyon) is Lees’ sole acceptor at Saturday’s Doomben 10,000 meeting, but is not a certain starter in the 3YO Plate (1350m) from a poor draw.

Story John Curtis, May 15, 2025