Multiple and reigning Newcastle Trainers’ Premiership winner Kris Lees will be looking to add another memorable win to his honour roll when he fires a double-barrelled shot at a $1 million The Hunter at his home track on Saturday.
The two runners that Lees will saddle in his attempt to become the first Newcastle trainer to win The Hunter are Brudenell and Infancy.
The former is a seasoned six-year-old runner with ten wins from thirty-two starts behind his name but, interestingly enough, he has yet to contest a race at the Newcastle track.
Port McQuarie, Tamworth, Randwick, Kembla Grange, Gosford, Yarra Valley, Sunshine Coast, Doomben, Flemington, Moonee Valley … amongst others … the well-travelled Brudenell has raced at all of those venues, but this will be his first go at Newcastle under race conditions.
He has won on all racing surfaces and has saluted up to a distance of 1250m.
The only time Brudenell raced beyond 1250m was over 1300m (The Hunter’s race distance) where Brudenell finished a 3.18 length third behind The Instructor in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone.
Brudenell will be third-up here so his fitness should be spot-on.
He has been handed the number one barrier draw and will be ridden by Tim Clark.
For her part, Infancy, as is the case with Brudenell, will be third-up going into The Hunter, she has saluted on all racing surfaces, and she also has yet not raced at all at Newcastle in her twenty-two race career to date.
The five-year-old mare’s two starts this time in have both been in fairly testing Group 3 company, both times finishing less than 2.50 lengths behind the winner, results which stand in her credit column.
In stark contrast to Brudenell’s number one barrier draw though, Infancy will have to try and negotiate a fair run from the second widest barrier draw. That will be the immediate task facing jockey Dylan Gibbons once the gates spring open.
Both Brudenell and Infancy are way out on a limb in the betting at double figure odds.
The Hunter was first run in 2019 and was upgraded to Group 2 status in 2024.
