While Kris Lees will have four runners at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday as he seeks to continue his early season flourish, he will be an absentee.
Lees jets out of Sydney for the United States to watch the unbeaten Goldstream take on six other three-year-olds in the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington on Saturday (Sunday morning our time), in which Brenton Avdulla has the mount.
Adelaide won last year’s Secretariat (2011m) – also against six rivals – and two months later turned in an outstanding performance to win Australasia’s weight-for-age championship, the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m), at Moonee Valley.
Hunter-based Australian Bloodstock purchased Goldstream – unbeaten in five starts – after he had won the Italian Derby (2200m) in May.
The three-year-old was subsequently transferred to Germany’s Andreas Wohler, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup with Protectionist (now with Lees) for Australian Bloodstock.
He has been entered for both the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 and Cox Plate a week later.
“Goldstream will join our stable after the Melbourne spring carnival,” Lees said.
“I felt this was a good opportunity to go to the States and have a close look at him.
“Obviously, he is a young horse with a lot of ability, and it will be interesting to see how he shapes up in the Secretariat.”
Lees will be back home next week in plenty of time to trial Protectionist and Lucia Valentina at Broadmeadow on Monday week.
“Both horses worked nicely this morning,” he said. “I’m very happy with the way they are progressing.”
Last year’s Turnbull Stakes winner and Caulfield Cup placegetter Lucia Valentina – who trialled at Gosford earlier this month – resumes in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on September 5; a race she won first-up last year.
The Cox Plate is shaping as her mission this year, although she is also a Caulfield Cup entry.
Protectionist is also likely to resume at the same Randwick meeting, in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m). (www.racingnsw)