Premier Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has his eyes firmly set on the Polytrack Provincial Championship Final at The Championships on Saturday 14 April, following victory by his $12 chance Princess Posh in the Polytrack Provincial Championship Qualifier at Newcastle on Sunday 31 March.
Jockey Jeff Penza raced Princess Posh to the lead on entering the home straight, to defeat race favourite Bon Amis, Noel Callow, by a half-length, with the Kris Lees trained Kool Vinnie in third.
Princess Posh won in a time of 1:22.95 on a Good 4 track. She is a 4yo mare by the Irish 2000 Guineas winner Clanford Cliffs and is from the family of outstanding sprinter-miler Mr Innocent.
Trainer Kris Lees now enters the Polytrack Provincial Championship Final on Day 2 of The Championships at Royal Randwick with Princess Posh, Serene Miss and Just Dreaming as qualifying winners, plus Kool Vinnie, Bastia and Tawfiq Boy as qualifying placegetters amongst the 15 horse field.
The Provincial Championship Final of 1400m is open to the first three finishers in each Provincial Qualifying race. Race replacements are taken from the highest benchmarked fourth placegetter from qualifying races.
Now in its fourth season the Ploytrack Provincial Championship Final carries $500,000 total prizemoney with $270,000 to the winner. It is an open set-weight plate at 59kg for Class 6 and above, 57.5kg for Class 5 and 56kg for Class 4 and below. Fillies and mares receive a 2kg allowance and there is no age allowance.
In today’s international racing world, the Polytrack and synthetic racing surfaces have become synopsis with Australian racecourses, training centres and stud farms. Pakenham and Singapore are among the 20 racecourses worldwide that are using Polytrack racing surfaces.
Polytrack training tracks are in use at the Canterbury Quarantine Centre, Caulfield, Hawkesbury and Godolphin Osborne Park, with the non-wax fibre tracks at Warrnambool, Werribee and Mornington.
Especially designed for racing Polytrack is a wax-coated synthetic surface using a sophisticated ‘turf-style’ manufactured root structure, that allows horses to work ‘on top’ of the surface, not into it.
Polytrack has a level drainage system which provides consistency and gives horses confidence to perform at their best. The track differs from cambered systems which can cause huge variances.
Wyong opened the Provincial Championships on Saturday 3 March with the Polytrack Provincial Championship Qualifier of 1350m won by the Kris Lees trained Just Dreaming, the $2.70 race favourite.
Ridden by Aaron Bulloch, Just Dreaming came from behind to defeat Manhattan Mist, Jeff Penza, by ¾ length with Witches a ½ length away in third. The winning time was 1:18.60 on a Good 4 track.
Hawkesbury staged their Polytrack Provincial Qualifier over 1400m on Saturday 10 March with apprentice Jean Van Overmeire and $2.60 favourite Uptown Lad staging a whirlwind race finish.
Trained by Kim Waugh the $2.60 race favourite Uptown Lad defeated Plaisir, Robert Thompson, by a nose with Bastia, Aaron Bullock in third. The winning time was 1:22.44 on a Good 3 track.
The Polytrack Provincial Championship reverted to 1200m for the Gosford hosted Qualifier on St Patrick’s Day Saturday 17 March. In a strongly contested finish the Kris Lees trained Serene Miss, starting at $5 and ridden by Aaron Bulloch, scored a ¾ length victory and won going away.
Serene Miss, a $525,000 yearling by Northern Meteor, ran 1:10.24 on a Good 4 track, to defeat Newsfan, Andrew Gibbons, with Can’t Find Snippy a nose away in third ridden by Grant Buckley.
The Kembla Grange on Saturday 24 March the Polytrack Championship Qualifier of 1400m was run on a heavy 8 track with victory going to the Gwenda Markwell trained Mandylion, starting at $14.
Winning jockey Jess Taylor made it a convincing all-the-way one length victory over the fast finishing Old Man Sam, Winona Costin, with Tawfiq Boy, Aaron Bulloch, hanging on for third.