Thousand Guineas start no guarantee for favourite Smart Melody

KRIS Lees will discuss the options with Smart Melody’s owners but says it’s likely the unbeaten filly will progress to the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

Smart Melody scored an impressive win in the Thousand Guineas Prelude. Picture: Getty Images

KRIS Lees says unbeaten filly Smart Melody is likely to head to the Group 1 Thousand Guineas but a decision won’t be made until he speaks with her owners.

“I’ll be discussing it with the connections (Gooree) later today or early tomorrow and make a decision but highly likely she’ll go on to the Thousand Guineas I would think,” Lees told Sydney radio on Monday.

“I think if she’s ever going to run a mile it would be against her own age and sex. That was always the plan we’ve had for her and at this stage I don’t see any reason to change.”

The alternative is the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes over 1200m on Derby Day.

Competing at 1400m for the first time after four wins up to 1100m, Smart Melody downed several prospective Thousand Guineas rivals in a faster time, 1min 22.73sec, than Native Soldier (1.23.36) ran in winning the Caulfield Guineas Prelude, to keep her unbeaten record intact and secure favouritism for the 1600m race.

But Lees, who watched Smart Melody ($2.10) hold off luckless Thrillster ($15) and stablemate El Dorado Dreaming ($8) in the Thousand Guineas Prelude, was in no hurry to confirm plans following the race on Sunday.

Asked if Smart Melody would “eat up the mile” (1600m), Lees said: “I don’t know if she’d eat up a mile.

“We’ll probably reassess it off the back of it, watch the videos, but she has jumped from 1100m and there’s a fortnight to go (to the Thousand Guineas), but there’s a lot of positives there,” he said.

“She’s a got a really natural good turn of foot and she’s ­really tough filly, a big imposing filly.

Smart Melody wins the Thousand Guineas Prelude. Picture: AAP

“First time up from 1100m straight to 1400m and she raced without cover, but she had a perfect run from Brenton (Avdulla). He let her go at the top of the straight and she put a nice gap on them.

“The last furlong, she was probably running on empty a touch, but she still held them off quite comfortably.

“She had a nice run and let down really well.”

Like Lees, Avdulla sounded a note of caution over the 1600m trip.

“If she was going to be vulnerable at the 1400m, we were going to find out today,” the jockey said.

“She was strong, it was a good test and probably up to Kris and the team to decide if they want to go back to six (1200m) or go on to the ­Guineas. She’s five from five so she’s only going to get better.

“I had to make a bit of use of her, but I was able get outside the speed and control things.

“But she was just floating a bit, got a little bit lost about the 600m, so I gave a bit of squeeze up into the bridle and as soon as I set her alight, she wanted to race.

“It did help her get around the bend, but I used her explosiveness and made sure I put a margin on them.”

Lees would ne

Avdulla will be unable to ride Smart Melody in the Thousand Guineas with the jockey booked on stablemate Graff in The Everest at Randwick on the same day.

Smart Melody heads TAB’s market for the Thousand Guineas at $3 from El Dorado Dreaming ($5.50) and Thrillster ($7).

Lees has no qualms about El Dorado Dreaming running out a strong 1600m.

“She was terrific. She was back in the ruck and, once she got clear, she ran on really strong,” he said.