RULING favorite Tavi Time will begin his Provincial-Midway Championships campaign at home on March 2.
But joint second favorites, his stablemate and last year’s runaway Final winner Spangler, along with Hawkesbury’s Phearson, are absentees from this year’s series.
Spangler is in the paddock and won’t be defending his “title”, whilst Phearson is ineligible, having won the Group 3 Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens in early December.
Leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has named the $150,000 second heat of the 2024 Polytrack Provincial-Midway Championships series at Newcastle as the talented Tavi Time’s resumption.
The 1400m Newcastle heat is restricted to eligible provincial-trained horses only, and the first two placegetters automatically qualify for the April 13 Final – worth $1m for the first time - at Royal Randwick during The Championships.
Lees has dominated the annual series since it was introduced in 2015, winning five of the nine Finals, and is chasing his fourth in a row.
He was successful with Danish Twist (2016), Serene Miss (2018), Cristal Breeze (2021), Kinloch (2022), and Spangler.
After finishing second to Loch Eagle in the Wild Card (1400m) at Newcastle, Spangler turned the tables on his stablemate in the Final, relishing the heavy track to score by nearly five lengths.
Tavi Time, a lightly-raced four-year-old son of the deceased stallion Tavistock (who died in 2019), has won five of his eight starts; the last two in a row.
After taking a Benchmark 78 Handicap (1600m) at The Hunter metropolitan meeting at Newcastle on November 18, he went bush and trounced his rivals in the Big Dance Eligibility Mudgee Cup (1600m) on December 1, beating subsequent Randwick winner Balleistic Kids.
Tavi Time was given a short break after his Mudgee demolition, and was given a quiet time in an 845m Open heat at the Wyong trials last Wednesday.
“Tavi Time will trial again at Gosford on February 15 and then be ready to run at Newcastle early next month,” Lees said.
Stablemate Cloudland will kick off the series for Lees in the opening heat at Kembla Grange two days earlier; the 1400m event being for both eligible provincial and Midway horses.
Cloudland, runner-up to Short Shorts in a Kembla Grange heat last year, was one of four Lees’ runners in Spangler’s Final.
He hasn’t raced since winning a Benchmark 72 Handicap (1400m) on the Kensington track on December 1, and trialled strongly when narrowly beaten by Reggie’s Boy in another 845m Open heat at the Wyong session in 50.35 seconds.
Lees also has Dream Hour and Willinga Freefall – both Brisbane summer carnival winners - on track for the Provincial-Midway Championships.
Dream Hour hasn’t raced since taking the $300,000 The Gateway (1400m) at Eagle Farm on December 9, whilst Willinga Freefall won the Summer Provincial Final (1300m) there the same day before finishing second to Freedom Rally in a Benchmark 85 Handicap (1400m) at the same track a fortnight later.
Meanwhile, Lees’ 2022 Provincial-Midway winner Kinloch, who is in outstanding form this preparation, may chase a hat-trick at Doomben next Saturday.
“Kinloch has remained at our Gold Coast base, and will be nominated for a 1350m Open Handicap,” Lees said.
“Irrespective of whether he runs at Doomben, he will come home for the Newcastle Stakes (1400m) early next month.”
The $250,000 Group 3 event (formerly the Newcastle Newmarket) on March 8 is an autumn feature Lees also has dominated in recent years.
He won it four times in a row with Princess Posh, Special Reward, Gem Song and Wandabaa – all raced by Australian Bloodstock syndicates – between 2019 and 2022, before finishing second with Gem Song to Cross Talk last year.
Though Phearson is ineligible, leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup is aiming both Short Shorts and Ausbred Flirt at the Provincial-Midway Championships.
Short Shorts brilliantly won a Kembla Grange heat last year, whilst Ausbred Flirt, an impressive first-up Randwick 1400m winner last September, finished fourth in an 800m Hawkesbury trial last Thursday, finishing strongly once she got clear late.
. Kembla Grange trainer Ben Smith was the sole provincial winner at Canterbury last night, scoring with Arale (Robyn Freeman) at $6.50 in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1550m) against her own sex in an all-provincial finish.
Arale snatched victory on the post from Wyong trainer Sara Ryan’s Cirebon ($3.50) in a leader dominated race. Kris Lees’ Ella Te Ama ($4.40) was third.
Hawkesbury trainers Terry Croft and Claire Lever were winners at Bathurst yesterday. Croft won the Class 1 Handicap (120m) with Starros ($6), and Lever the Maiden Plate (1400m) with $1.55 favorite Luai.
Story John Curtis, February 3, 2024 - Pics Bradley Photos
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