Kris Lees still expected to have strong presence during Queensland winter carnival

EVEN without Lucia Valentina, Kris Lees could still be a major Queensland carnival player, with his Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain being aimed at the Stradbroke.

EVEN without Lucia Valentina, Kris Lees could still be a major Queensland carnival player, with his Randwick Guineas winner Le Romain being aimed at the Stradbroke.

“It’s highly likely. He’s had a break and he’s back on the water walker now. The plan would be to run in the (Queensland Day Stakes) 1200m three-year-old race a fortnight before, and go into the Stradbroke second-up,” Lees said.

Another potential carnival runner for Lees is the Italian Derby winner Goldstream, who will have his first Australian start in Sydney this Saturday.

Plans for Lucia Valentina to have a swan song in the Doomben Cup have been shelved, with Lees convincing connections to let her train on for another season, meaning she will now spell for the spring.

“Had she not won (the Queen Elizabeth), she would have been running in the Doomben Cup and then most likely go to stud after that, but we will have another shot at the spring now,” Lees said.

Le Romain takes out the Randwick Guineas. Picture: Jenny Evans

EF TRACK RUNNING ON ALL CYCLINDERS

MICHAEL Cahill became the latest jockey to test the new $10 million Eagle Farm course proper when he galloped Cylinder Beach for Desleigh Forster on Saturday morning.

After Buffering’s exhibition gallop in late February, there were concerns about the amount of kickback, but Cahill believes the surface has come on strongly since then. “It looks beautiful and felt good going over it,” Cahill said. “It rode very well and he hardly marked it.

“The new section at the 1000m, that would be the part of the track you would be most worried about, but I would say the track looks on target.’’

Some BRC officials have conceded they were worried after the way the track played for Buffering’s run, but track staff insisted it would be right for the May 11 resumption and confidence is building that all will be well.

Forster said the track had come on strongly since February and rated it “near-perfect’’.

Originally published as Kris Lees still expected to have strong presence during Queensland winter carnival