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Gosford Provincial Championship Qualifier Preview - 16th March 2019

Trainer Kris Lees will have another throw at the stumps in Saturday's third $150,000 Provincial Championships Qualifier at Gosford, hoping history can repeat.

Kris Lees
Kris Lees Picture: Racing and Sports

Lees has won two of the four Provincial Championships but is yet to qualify a horse for this year’s $500,000 Final over 1400m at Randwick on April 13.

On Saturday he is banking on continuing his excellent record in the Gosford heat, having won all three previous qualifiers at the track with Powerline (2015), Zestful (2016) and Serene Miss (2018).

In 2017 the heat was transferred to Rosehill and was won by the Kembla Grange-trained mare Pomelo.

Serene Miss beat Newsfan in last year’s Gosford qualifier and the pair again ran the quinella in the final.

Lees accepted with four horses for Saturday’s 1200m Qualifier but will rely on only three with The Tenor likely to miss his engagement because of a wide barrier.

He will run Chalmers (Robert Thompson), Kanavu (Blake Spriggs) and Evalina (Darryl McLellan).

Lees named last-start Kensington winner Evalina as the pick of his Gosford trio despite past Provincial Championships not being the best race for three-year-olds.

The inaugural 2015 winner Sure and Fast is the only 3YO to succeed in the final.

“Evalina is a promising filly who beat subsequent winner Ligulate at her last start,” he said. “She carried 58.5kg then and comes down to 54kg.

“Kanavu is also a three-year-old and is the least experienced of my trio. He is a nice horse who has won two of his four starts and has drawn the best.

“Chalmers has won four races and is resuming. He will get back from his awkward draw and whilst he is yet to win first-up he has been placed on two occasions.”

Lees had three runners in his home track qualifier at Newcastle last Saturday. Turnberry finished fifth, Bastia sixth and Milseain eighth.

Gosford trainer Gregory McFarlane has a strong chance to qualify more runners for the Provincila Championship Final on Saturday with two runners in his home heat.

McFarlane has already qualified It’s So Obvious in the Hawkesbury rendition and now hopes Saturday city winner Clear The Beach and the lightly-raced Golden Tycoon can join him.

Golden Tycoon has drawn wide in gate 14 and McFarlane believes he will go forward from that alley.

“He’s a promising horse and hopefully we can be up there sitting outside the leader or thereabouts,” McFarlane said.

“I’d prefer him on top of the ground but a wet surface shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.”

Clear The Beach has drawn gate five and McFarlane sees him also being up on the pace.

“He’s been a bit of a tricky horse but the rain certainly won’t damage his chances,” McFarlane said.

Another local trainer Grant Allard saddles up Americana Magic, a recent impressive barrier trial winner at Newcastle.


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