KRIS Lees has opted for blinkers on Kalapour in his bid to win Saturday's $5mCaulfield Cup.
And the leading Newcastle trainer considers this year’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes winner is over the odds at his current $101 with TAB.com.au for the 2400m feature.
Kalapour, with his 55kg topweight and No 1 saddlecloth, will lead the field out on the track for his fourth run this preparation.
“I don’t feel it is the strongest Caulfield Cup,” Lees said on Tuesday afternoon. “He doesn’t deserve to be rated a $101 chance.
“He has drawn nicely in barrier four, and should get every chance.
“The blinkers are going on him for a little change.
“Kalapour has worked in them before, but I have never used them on him in a race.”
Kalapour gave Lees his 17 th Group 1 success when he won the Tancred Stakes (2400m), ridden by his then apprentice Dylan Gibbons, at Rosehill Gardens in March.
The now seven-year-old gelding followed that up with an excellent third to Caulfield Cup rival Circle Of Fire in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Royal Randwick a fortnight later.
Lees is seeking his fifth major in Melbourne, having won the 2008 VRC Oaks with Samantha Miss, 2014 Turnbull Stakes with Lucia Valentina, 2016 Cantala Stakes with Le Romain, and 2019 Lightning Stakes with In Her Time – all at Flemington.
He has booked Ben Melham, one of Melbourne’s leading jockeys, for Kalapour, rekindling an
association which saw the pair land the 2016 Group 2 Villiers Stakes (now The Ingham) at Royal Randwick with another outsider, Sense Of Occasion ($31).
Lees chose not accept with Kalapour’s stablemate Adelaide River for the Caulfield Cup.
Adelaide River (fourth) and Kalapour (sixth) contested last Saturday’s $1m wfa Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield, won by Deny Knowledge, who is at $9 for the Cup.
Kalapour carried 59kg in the Might And Power, and drops 4kg.
Coincidentally, Sense Of Occasion also drew the same barrier (four) when he won the Villiers.
“Adelaide River is coming home and will be gelded and have a good break,” Lees said.
“I’m looking forward to getting him back for the autumn.”
Meanwhile, Lees is awaiting news on Dylan Gibbons’ fitness before confirming a rider for Prime Impact in Friday’s $100,000 Big Dance Eligibility Taree Cup (2000m).
Gibbons injured a shoulder in a fall on the way to the barrier for the opening race at last Friday’s Port Macquarie Cup meeting and forfeited his engagements, but has taken a couple of bookings for Hawkesbury’s meeting on Thursday.
Prime Impact won the Port Macquarie Cup Prelude (1800m) on September 29, but Lees decided against running him in the Cup there and has saved him for the Taree assignment, where he has 57.5kg.
. Leading Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup won his 17 th race for the season when Dubai Dame scored at Bathurst on Tuesday.
Ridden by Jaden Lloyd, Dubai Dame ($3.30 favorite) defeated Scarlett Aplenty ($4.40) and the winner’s stablemate Jump In The Line ($3.40) in the Maiden Plate (1400m).
A lightly-raced four-year-old mare, the daughter of Pride of Dubai was having only her sixth start.
Dubai Dame is the last foal of the Redoute’s Choice mare Doubtful Choice, who has been retired from breeding.
Doubtful Choice won a 2YO Maiden Plate (900m) on debut at Newcastle in March 2004 as an odds- on favorite for leading Newcastle trainer Kris Lees.
Story by John Curtis, October 15, 2024.
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