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Gary Harley

The Kris Lees stable will saddle up gallopers in Sydney, Melbourne and Newcastle on Saturday but it is on the stable’s home track where their best-fancied runner will compete. Fleet-footed mare Deceptacon is the $2.30 favourite in the 900 metre Class 2 Handicap and Lees has nominated her as his best chance.

"I accepted with five horses at Newcastle but only two are certain to run. Chilly Cha Cha and Lomazzo will probably go to Muswellbrook on Sunday and Tuesday. Sugar Bella has been scratched already. Deceptacon and Sadhika will both run," Lees said.

Trainer Kris Lees - is keen on the chances of Deceptacon at Newcastle. Image by Bradley Photographers 

"Deceptacon is a very fast mare and well suited by the 900-metre trip. She has always shown above average talent and the mare was short of the run when run down late at Gosford recently. Deceptacon has certainly improved since that run and she is my best chance on the day. Sadhika is set for a nice preparation. The mare's first-up record is not good, but her recent trial was okay."

Deceptacon won two trials on the Central Coast earlier this year before being purchased by Hunter syndicators Australian Bloodstock and transferred to the Lees stable. In her first race start at Canterbury on April 26 the mare was a heavily-backed favourite but raced too keen in front and folded to finish fifth. A couple of weeks later, Deceptacon blitzed a maiden field by three lengths at the Scone Cup Carnival. Lees then sent her for a spell and her only other start was at Gosford on October 5.

The Godolphin stable will send four horses up the M1 to Newcastle on Saturday and three of them are early favourites. They are Thrilled ($2.20) in race 3, Birdsong ($2.30) in race 4, and Tiny Taj ($2.70) in race 5.

Godolphin’s other runner Sekiyama is the $2.30 second favourite in race 2. Sekiyama was beaten less than a length when second on debut at Kembla on October 19 and the extra trip is ideal.

Thrilled flashed home when beaten a head on this track two weeks ago and Saturday’s field is not as strong. Birdsong resumes on the back of a recent Randwick trial win and she is well placed under the set weight conditions. The mare was a Warwick Farm placegetter in June and she has been placed twice on this track. Tiny Taj beat a subsequent winner on debut at Gosford on October 5. The Godolphin quartet will be ridden by Jeff Penza.

The Everest-winning trainers Peter and Paul Snowden have bright prospects of landing a treble at Newcastle. The first of the Snowdens’ team to race is the odds-on favourite Poetic Charmer in the 1400 metre Maiden Handicap. The colt has been placed in his past two starts at Rosehill and Canterbury and he will benefit from Nick Heywood’s claim.

The apprentice will be aboard stablemate California Wisdom topweight and favourite in the 1600 metre Benchmark 60 Handicap. The gelding was runner-up to Istria first-up over 1400 metres here two weeks back and he steps up to 1600 on Saturday.

The third of the Snowdens’ trio of favourites is the filly Pretty Fast in the final event the 1200 metre Benchmark 60 Handicap. Pretty Fast resumed from a spell when a narrow winner on this track two weeks ago. She has sound form during the winter in Brisbane and she will be fitter this time.

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