Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will head to Hawkesbury on Saturday with a group 3 treble in his sights in combination with his star apprentice Dylan Gibbons.
Lees has watched as Gibbons developed into a group 1-winning jockey this season on Explosive Jack in the Sydney Cup but rarely gets the chance to team with him in major races.
Dylan Gibbons drives Razeta away from the South Pacific Classic field at Randwick. Credit: Getty
Gibbons rode his first stakes winner for the boss on Razeta won the South Pacific Classic on the second day of The Championships and looks a good chance to add to the tally with Razeta, Never Talk and Hosier on Saturday.
“He hasn’t had too many opportunities to win stakes races for me, so we are hoping Saturday can be the day where we can strike,” Lees said.
“I have said many times how proud we are of Dylan. He’s going terrific and it would be good to put a couple of wins on the board with him for us.
“He works hard and is getting the rewards, and that we find it hard to get him shows how well he is going.”
Gibbons has 46 winners for the season in Sydney and sits fourth on the jockeys premiership behind James McDonald and fellow apprentices Zac Lloyd and Tyler Schiller. But he is far more important to the Lees stable than what punters see on race day.
“He’s a very good asset to the stable; he rides good track work and gives good feedback,” Lees said. “It’s an important part of the job.
“He presents himself so well to owners, which makes a big difference. He has got about a year on his time but you can see that he’s going to make it now.”
Gibbons made a difference on Razeta in the South Pacific Classic after a frustrating preparation where she had little luck in three runs. He sticks with her in the Hawkesbury Guineas, where she steps up to group 3 level.
“She’s come on well since The Championships. It’s a nice option for her,” Lees said. “She’s already a dual stakes winner, so we are going to just try to place her right and a group 3 is the next step.
“I think she’s got a lot of upside in the next 12 months, and she looks like she will stretch to the mile.
“People think she is a wet-tracker but she is capable on all ground and should get the chance to show that from a good draw in the Guineas.”
Gibbons will jump Never Talk, which would appreciate a softer Hawkesbury track. She hasn’t won in a year but steamed home for second behind Zapeteo in the Sapphire Stakes at Randwick a couple of weeks ago.
Lees was hoping to have Never Talk ridden closer as she steps up to the 1300m of the Hawkesbury Crown, but the draw of 13 put an end to that.
“She definitely prefers wet ground, but she’s capable on firmer ground as well. The wet track would just probably put a few others out of play,” Lees said.
“I would have liked to draw a bit softer with her. It would have allowed us to just hold a spot, because she has a habit of leaving herself too much to do in races.”
That will not be a problem for Hosier in the Hawkesbury Cup. He looks the leader over the 1600m and likes getting his toe in the ground.
“He gets up on speed and just keeps grinding away. He just has a strong style of racing,” Lees said. “This is his sweet spot and he might get the right sort of track.
“I think he could get out to 2000 metres, but in saying that he doesn’t usually show up under a mile either. He is a specialist type of horse.
“We will just ride him to his strengths and make the others beat us.”
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