If history is any guide, a Kris Lees-trained four-year-old mare should win the Provincial Championship final at Randwick on Saturday.
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And the Newcastle trainer believes one that fits the bill, Asharani, is the best chance among his five runners in the $400,000 1400-metre race.
Lees has been a dominant force in the series, which started in 2015, and this year his stable make up a third of the final field.
He has won every second edition of the championship, both with four-year-old mares, Danish Twist (2016) and Serene Miss (2018).
Heading into the 2020 race, Lees has four-year-old mares Asharani and Stella Sea Sun in the decider. Three-year-old filly Enchanted Heart, three-year-old gelding Animate and four-year-old gelding Great Danger make up the rest of his team.
Stella Sea Sun and Asharani were among early favourites for the series, which is open to provincial horses with less than 20 starts and no more than five wins before their qualifier.
Asharani confirmed her class with an impressive heat win at Newcastle over 1200m on March 19. She has Brenton Avdulla aboard again and is likely to jump from gate seven.
She was equal-second TAB favourite with Animate at $5 on Friday behind the Gwenda Markwell-trained Electric Girl ($4.60).
"I feel Asharani is our best chance," Lees told his website. "She ran a track record in winning the Gosford qualifier run at Newcastle and has trained on strongly.
"Asharani will relish the 1400m at Randwick, and handles soft and heavy ground."
Stella Sea Sun, a close second in her heat, will wear blinkers for the first time and was a $17 hope from nine.
"I'm hoping putting blinkers on Stella Sea Sun will help her focus better," Lees said.
Enchanted Heart and Great Danger (both $19) have the outside gates, while Animate has the advantage of barrier two.
Trainer Paul Perry's General Soho ($34) was the other finalist from Newcastle.
AAP reports: The Stradbroke Handicap, Brisbane's signature race, is one of two group 1s reinstated in Racing Queensland's revised list of 26 winter black-type events.
RQ scrapped the traditional winter carnival because of the coronavirus pandemic but it led to an outcry from breeders, trainers and some race clubs.
The RQ board held meetings with key industry figures in the past week and on Friday issued a statement outlining the new program which will provide limited black-type racing over a six-week period in May and June.
RQ said restrictions limiting jockeys, trainers and other licensed personnel to designated racing zones would remain in place but RQ would allow conditional horse movement between zones for racing.
The Stradbroke and the group 1 JJ Atkins will be held at Eagle Farm on June 6, while the group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes and The Roses will be staged the following week.
The Stradbroke prizemoney will be lopped from $1.5 million to $350,000 and the JJ Atkins from $1 million to $350,000.
In the Metro South West region, the Gold Coast will host the group 3 Gold Coast Guineas and Ken Russell Memorial on May 16.