Changingoftheguard might be one of the roughies for Tuesday’s $10 million Melbourne Cup, but just getting into the race is an achievement for Kris Lees.
It will be the Newcastle trainer’s first Melbourne Cup runner for the race’s most successful owner Lloyd Williams.
Williams is part of a big group that races the import, who will carry Williams’ famous navy blue and white colours and strive to give him an eighth win in the race.
Lees gained some of Williams’ horses when moved away from having a private trainer a few years back and thought he had his first Cup runner for Williams in 2023 with Cleveland, only for that galloper to be a race-eve scratching.
“Two years ago we were scratched the day before with Cleveland, who got crook on the Sunday,” Lees said.
“It’s an honour to be training his horses, but to have one in the Cup and those colours is very special.
“They’ve got a lot of history behind them and I’m very respectful of the history and very respectful of the team.”
Lees is striving to become the sixth trainer to prepare a Melbourne Cup winner for Williams, who won his first with the Tommy Smith-trained Just A Dash in 1981.
John Meagher prepared What A Nuisance (1985), Efficient won for Graeme Rogerson in 2007, Robert Hickmott celebrated success with Green Moon (2012) and Almandin (2016), while Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020) were both trained by Jospeh O’Brien.
None of Williams’ winners have been as large a price as Changingoftheguard, a $61 chance, but Lees is happy with the son of Galileo and is happy to overlook his sixth placing as topweight in the Geelong Cup.
“He just really struggled on what was a ‘gluey’ track at Geelong with a 60 kilos,” Lees said.
“I’m really pleased with his work. He’s had a good foundation, he’s been up since June, and I think he’s in good order.
“In a proper run two-mile race with no weight and a good on speed jockey, I think he’ll run a bold race.”
Changingoftheguard, who drops to 53kg, will start from the outside barrier in the 24-horse field with Tim Clark to take the ride.
