Premier Hunter trainer Kris Lees was even more thankful to have top Victorian jockeys Damien Oliver and Ben Melham booked for Friday's Newcastle Cup meeting after copping mostly bad draws for the group 3 features on Wednesday.
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Lees' Cup hopes Cleveland (Melham) and Kalapour (Oliver) drew 18 and 20 respectively after 20 of 24 nominations for the $300,000 2300m race accepted. They still led the TAB market, with Cleveland the $3.50 favourite and Kalapour at $4.20. Newcastle's other Cup chance, Mark Minervini's Hosier, drew 13 and was next best at $4.60.
Easing their pain was the early scratching of topweight Navajo Peak and King Frankel, and Lees expected more dual acceptors to follow.
"There's no favours," Lees said of the draws.
"They make it a bit hard, but they both get back and there should be a few scratchings in that race, and the Cameron. It is what it is."
Oliver, a 128-time group 1 winner who is retiring after the spring, will also have work to do on Bellatrix Black in the Tibbie Stakes and Luncies in the Cameron Handicap for Lees after both drew 13.
"That's why you put the best riders on, because you book them before the barrier draw," Lees said.
He had better luck with Inver Park (gate seven) and Spangler (one) in the Cameron. Top Newcastle apprentice Dylan Gibbons rides Inver Park ($5.50), while Tom Sherry is on Spangler ($9). Luncies, a close runner-up in the race last year, was $5.50.
In the Tibbie, Lees has Gibbons riding Razeta ($6) from gate 12 and Andrew Gibbons aboard Loves Me Likearock ($18) from 15. Bellatrix Black was $23.
"Inver Park and Spangler have drawn perfect and Luncies gets back anyway," he said.
"Loves Me Likearock, she needed luck anyway, but she'll go forward and she'll have to do a bit of work to get across. Bellatrix Black gets back a little anyway, but they are all still going to need the right set-up."
Before the draws, Lees believed his best chances in the features could be his cup duo. Cleveland was an eye-catching fourth when first-up for the stable in the Premier's Cup won by Hosier at Randwick.
"The cup horses all galloped on Monday and they are ready to go. I'm happy with them," said Lees, who won the race for the first time in 2020 with Mugatoo.
"Cleveland was good first time around and he'll be better again off the run, and I feel he'll be very competitive."
Kalapour, a group 3 winner over 2000m in Queensland in May, lost rider Tim Clark but came through a tragic edition of the Wyong Cup last start.
"He didn't actually hit the ground thankfully," Lees said.
"He buckled over and we had some concerns but thankfully after a couple of vets checks and the chiropractors going over him, he's bounced out of it OK.
"The market's had them equal prices [Monday] and that's probably a fair indication.
"I think Kalapour is up and going and he's probably the sharper horse over a shorter trip, but at 2300 it will be interesting. There wouldn't be much between them.
"They are a couple of genuine chances, so it's good to have that. I don't think we had a runner last year."
In the Cameron, he said his trio "are probably looking for a bit of tempo in the race, so it's whether they get the right set-up".
Luncies went close last year when fresh in a small and likely weaker field.
"He'll be better over more distance but he's capable of sprinting well fresh," Lees said.
"Inver Park, his two Australian runs have been eye-catching and I'd love to see him get a nice run."
Of his Tibbie hopes, he said: "Razeta, she's a dual stakes winner and she was really good first time out and now gets to run on her home track and she'll run really well.
"Bellatrix Black, she's another one who's capable fresh and I'm sure she'll run well first time out."
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Craig Kerry
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
