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By Tony Megahey

Widely-travelled Mark Gee is a hard marker, reforming rogues, cast-offs and educating newcomers, and making a rare trip to town with progressive winner Platara ($19 on TAB) which is a compelling lead for punters at value into a TAB Highway at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

The main focus for Goulburn’s Gee is pre-training but he maintains a modest racing team with daughter Claire, his former apprentice, and it’s near two years since he won at headquarters with Cap’s Boy resulting in a Hong Kong offer “too good to refuse.”

Platara and Brendan Ward (lime colours, no.3) combine to land the prize at Moruya. Image by Bradley Photographers

From an early career at Beaudesert and the Sunshine Coast, Gee never overrates them so returning to headquarters after such a lengthy absence with the four-year-old Fast ‘N’ Furious gelding off wins at Wagga Wagga and Moruya, in heavy is an alert.

Platara carries 56kg for regular rider Brendan Ward into the TAB $100,000 Class 2, 1100m flyer.

“He’s always shown ability, the most talent I’ve had in a good while; last prep he was shin sore, so we had to turn him out,” Gee explained.

“Drawn wide, we’d have preferred to wait a bit longer, but the timing is as good as we’ll get for a suitable race in town with the form he’s in and he’s won on heavy.

“There’s limited short course Highways, not another one for a good while.

“He resumed with a winning trial for Claire, put two strong wins together, the upside is there and his owner was keen to come.

“With all the rain, out wide might be the place to be, we’ll know after the early races.”

And for that level of prizemoney while he’s eligible, compared to staying at the regionals.

“More depth in town but it’s still a country class 2, he carried 58 kilos both wins, so he’s still well in.

“At Moruya in heavy we found the best going out wide, but he did win his maiden on firm.”

Mark Gee, a granddad, trains varying numbers and his winners are regular enough: “Apart from the breakers I’ve got around a dozen in work, that’s enough for us.

“We share trackwork; Claire has young children and isn’t race riding at present. I pre-train mostly for Matty Dale and enough to keep us busy.”

Meanwhile, way back Gee wasn’t too disappointed to lose Cap’s Boy.

“One of the hardest I’ve ever trained - kicked and unloaded me, but we showed a decent profit after he won three races for us, and he’s won three over there racing as Telecom Fighter.”

At present headquarters is a deteriorating Soft 5 under steady showers.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Royal Randwick here