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Miss Fabulass is the closest replica to her famous mum Samantha Miss, says the man who has had both under his care.

Kris Lees made the comment as his highly-regarded filly attempts to make the grade in Group company at her first attempt at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Despite just stepping out of maiden class at Canterbury Park on August 15 when she beat only two rivals over 1100m, such is the boom on Miss Fabulass (Kerrin McEvoy) that she is $4.20 pre-post favorite for the $200,000 Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m).

Samantha Miss won seven – including three Group Ones - of her 12 starts for Lees before injury forced her premature retirement: “I’ve seen all her foals, and this filly (Miss Fabulass) is the closest replica to her,” Lees said.

Samantha Miss was sent to England by owner John Singleton to be mated with retired unbeaten European champion Frankel – and Miss Fabulass is the product.

Whereas Samantha Miss raced five times as a two-year-old and was having her seventh start when she won the 2008 Furious (then 1400m) on a heavy Randwick surface, her daughter raced only once as a two-year-old and is fronting up for only her third start.

It’s an assignment not to be underestimated at set weights against some well-performed three-year-old fillies, but Lees is not backing away from the challenge.

“It’s a decent jump in grade for sure, but Miss Fabulass is in terrific order,” he said. “She has trained on beautifully since the Canterbury race. I’m very happy with her.”

Whilst Samantha Miss went on to finish an unlucky third in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley before proving too classy for her rivals in the Group 1 Flemington Oaks (2500m) in the spring of 2008, Lees is not yet looking ahead that far with Miss Fabulass.

“She will follow the same path as Samantha Miss did in Sydney; the Tea Rose (1400m Group 2) and Flight Stakes (1600m Group 1) at Randwick being her immediate targets.”

Lees has four Randwick representatives at the opening meeting of the spring season; his others being Le Romain ($200,000 Group 2 Tramway Stakes, 1400m), Prized Icon ($250,000 Group 2 wfa Chelmsford Stakes, 1600m), and Reginae (1300m Benchmark 74 Handicap for three-year-olds). He has withdrawn unbeaten Gem Song from Reginae’s race, and Milseain from the Benchmark 94 Handicap (1400m).

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