A limited number of owners will be allowed to return to races for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of tracks to all but essential personnel.

Some of the owners will be from highly successful Hunter-based syndication company Australian Bloodstock, who provide many horses to Lees.

The combination have Wandabaa, Tactical Advantage, Hallelujah Boy and Itz Lily racing at Randwick.

"There will be some owners there, but whether they enjoy it is another thing, I think, with such severe restrictions," Australian Bloodstock director Luke Murrell said. "I think they are restricted to a table and they are not allowed to leave, even to go and see their horse. There's a lot of people who will be excited to get back there, but I still think there's a long way to go before we're pre-COVID normal."

Murrell and Lees believed Itz Lily was a strong chance on heavy going in race nine.

"She is a tough little mare, and her two runs this time in have been very good," Lees said. "It looks the right race for her, and I'm expecting her to be hard to beat."

Murrell: "I think Itz Lily will go really close. Her two runs have been great and she likes it wet."

Tactical Advantage was in the feature Bob Charley AO Stakes but Murrell was concerned about him handling the wet track.

"He doesn't like a wet track the older that he's got, so that will be tricky," he said.

"Hallelujah Boy likes the wet but there's four or five of him and I don't know which one will show up.

"Wandabaa won the other week but she's got a bad barrier. With an inside barrier, I would have thought she'd run top two."

Lees will also have last-start Randwick winner High Opinion racing on Saturday in the benchmark 78 handicap (2400m).

With apprentice Louise Day aboard, High Opinion will carry 0.5kg less than when he won over 2000m two weeks ago on testing ground.