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Trainer Kris Lees is looking to follow a 'Mugatoo type preparation' with fellow import Luncies as he bids to make it two Newcastle Gold Cups in succession.

The lightly-raced Luncies, who has won five of his nine starts, began a new campaign when fifth with 59.5kg to stablemate Itz Lily in last Thursday’s $150,000 Coffs Harbour Cup (1605m).

He isn’t likely to race again until the scheduled Rosehill Gardens meeting on August 28 when he steps up to open company in the Group 3 Premier’s Cup (1900m).

Luncies (James McDonald) parades at Canterbury Park. Image by Bradley Photographers

“With his current benchmark rating of 83, there really isn’t another suitable race for Luncies in between,” Lees said this morning.

“Provided he races well in the Premier’s Cup, he will then go on to the Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) on September 17. It’s the same thing I did last year with Mugatoo.”

Mugatoo had 57kg when he won last year’s Premier’s Cup and then, with 59kg, gave Lees an overdue Newcastle Cup breakthrough.

The classy gelding, who won this year’s $5m All-Star Mile at The Valley, finished second to Mirage Dancer in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) at Royal Randwick after his Newcastle triumph.

Lees also won the 2016 Premier’s Cup with Sense Of Occasion (stablemate Singing was second), before the now-retired gelding finished fourth in the Newcastle Cup.

Whilst Lees landed the Coffs Harbour Cup with Itz Lily, who has remained in work pending a decision whether she has another start before being retired to stud, he wasn’t disappointed with Luncies’ performance: “He probably raced a bit close, and will definitely come on from that run,” he said.

This year’s Newcastle Gold Cup, which carries a purse of $250,000, is the second of the new provincial Showcase meetings, with minimum prizemoney of $50,000.

Another wide draw has Lees in a quandary about running first-up Kensington winner Rustic Steel in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1200m) at the metropolitan meeting at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

He has booked 2kg claimer Tom Sherry for the four-year-old in the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1200m), but the gelding has drawn the outside barrier in a field of 10.

Rustic Steel had the inside alley when successful first-up over 1100m with 60kg on the Kensington track on July 7, but has since been withdrawn from engagements at Randwick on July 31 and again from the midweek metropolitan meeting at Newcastle yesterday because of poor draws.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Lees said, discussing Saturday’s draw at Kembla. “I’ll speak with owner Ron Wanless in Brisbane and make a decision whether we run.”

Lees also has Animate (Brenton Avdulla) resuming in the Benchmark 88 Handicap 1200m) at Kembla Grange: “He has put in some good fresh runs before, but looking at him, I feel he will need this run,” he said.