Back from the disappointment of In Her Time's scratching in Hong Kong, Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will look to three of his other top mares to step up from good barriers on Saturday.
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Invincible Gem and El Dorado Dreaming will contest the group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Randwick, while Miss Fabulass will tackle the listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
Miss Fabulass, a group 2 winner, produced a Chautauqua-like finish to steal victory over 1200m at listed level last start at Doomben.
The blueblood four-year-old, by Frankel out of Samantha Miss, was entered for the $250,000 The Gateway and the $125,000 Lough Neagh at Eagle Farm but she drew the extreme outside in the richer race. She has barrier five in the Lough Neagh and was a $3.90 favourite with TAB.
"We decided to run her where she drew softer, that was always the plan," Lees said. "She'll get her chance because they'll go quick."
Lees said it was "a run at a time" with the brilliant but often difficult Miss Fabulass, but she could start in two weeks at Eagle Farm in a bid to qualify for a mares or cup Magic Millions race.
"She needs to win [in two weeks] to contest those, but she could easily win one," he said.
In Sydney, Lees has Invincible Gem from gate two and El Dorado Dreaming from five, but he was concerned with the 59-kilograms and 57kg they will carry respectively in the quality.
"They've got plenty of weight for mares, and they are not very big," he said.
"They are certainly weighted up to their best."
Invincible Gem, a six-year-old with two group 2 wins, was $17 for the Villiers after two unplaced runs this campaign. She was second last in The Hunter (1300m) then fourth in the Festival Stakes (1500m) two weeks ago. Both times she was caught wide from bad barriers.
"That will take a bit of pressure off her," Lees said of the inside gate. "She can get there without using as much petrol in the early stages, so that's an advantage. It was a really good run last start."
El Dorado Dreaming ($7.50) was 1.3 lengths fifth in The Gong (1600m) from barrier four last start.
"She just stepped slow," Lees said. "But if she can just hold a midfield spot, she'll get her chance."
In Her Time was scratched by stewards from the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin last Sunday because of a quarter crack in her front left hoof.
"It was just the timing of it," Lees said. "It appeared the day before and she was probably right two days after."
Lees said she will land in Australia on Christmas Eve, have a fortnight in Melbourne quarantine then return to work for a late autumn/winter campaign.
