NEWCASTLE, March 4, 2010 - The prospect of a strong tempo in the National Jockeys Celebration Handicap on Saturday has Kris Lees optimistic about the winning chances of Pins On Parade.

The handy five-year-old goes into the race off the back of a solid fifth behind Kenny's World in the Group III Southern Cross and despite the race being a drop in grade Lees is of the opinion it is no easier.

“It's not a Group III but you have the likes of Griffon, Doff Command, Seeking Attention and Serenissima so it's not an easy race by any means,” Lees said.

While Lees knows Pins On Parade will need to be at the top of his game to be winning at Warwick Farm he believes a few things have fallen in the gelding's favour.

“There is a tonne of speed in the race and I think that will suit,” he said. “I think he can get a good trail in the race and with something to chase I'm sure he'll produce his best.

“His work has been excellent and he gets in ok at the weights with Kody Nestor's 3kg claim.

I think he's got good each-way prospects.”

NEWCASTLE, March 3, 2010 - Kris Lees is hoping his opinion of Elimbari will be vindicated when she runs in Saturday's Group III Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Warwick Farm on Saturday.

The juvenile filly will be out to announce herself as a serious Golden Slipper contender with victory ensuring a start in the $3.5 million Group I major at Rosehill on April 3.

A daughter of Fastnet Rock, Elimbari had tongues wagging after she scored a tenacious victory on debut at Rosehill back in January and Lees immediately set about plotting a path to the Golden Slipper.

“We gave her a short break and she came back a bigger and stronger girl,” Lees said. “After her debut she was 445kg but I weighed her last week and she was up to 475kg.

“The preparation has been incident free and I wouldn't change a thing heading into Saturday.”

Elimbari did her final piece of work at Newcastle on Wednesday and Lees described the gallop as “nice work” and just what he wanted.

Saturday's test will see Elimbari clash with other Slipper contenders Solar Charged and Georgette Silk and her trainer said the race will “tell a few stories”.

“We've drawn well and if the run along as I expect then she is going to be suited,” he said. “Until you race them its hard to line them up against one another but I'm expecting her to be right in the thick of it.”

TAB Sportsbet have installed Elimbari as the second favourite for the Kindergarten at $5.50 behind the odds-on favourite Solar Charged and in the Golden Slipper Elimbari is currently at $15.

BRISBANE, February 27, 2010 - One of the real warriors of the Lees Racing stable, Motspur has taken out his first feature race, winning the Listed Falvelon Handicap at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The talented seven-year-old gelding has been plagued by injury for much of his career but the past 12-months has seen him race as well as ever and the $100,000 feature race win was due reward.

“As a young horse I ran him in the Galaxy at his fourth start so that tells you what I thought of him,” Kris Lees said.

“I really happy for the horse, he's had a few more problems than most in his career and he really deserved to win a good race.”

Ridden by Chris Munce, Motspur was given the perfect run behind the leader and rae favourite Nuclear Medicine before Munce took advantage of an inside run from the top of the straight.

Motspur ($3.40) quickly put the issue beyond doubt and went on to score a 2-1/2-length win over Nuclear Medicine ($3.30) with consistent gelding The Jackal ($4.60) battling on for third two lengths away.

"He jumped well and travelled strongly throughout the race," Munce said.

"We had a soft run behind the speed and he gave a really good kick when he let down."

NEWCASTLE, February 25, 2009 - Trainer Kris Lees will send consistent galloper Motspur to Brisbane for a crack at black type success in the Listed Falvelon Handicap over 1200m at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Lees elected to travel his seven-year-old gelding instead of coming to Sydney to tackle up and comers Griffon and De Lightning Ridge.

“They are pretty promising horses and I doubt he could give them weight and a beating,” Lees said.

“We go to Brisbane and he's racing for more prizemoney and is going to appreciate carrying 53kg.”

Lees said Motspur is racing as well as ever and the horse should be forgiven for his last start failure at Rosehill when he missed the start.

“His chances were gone as soon as the gates opened,” he said. “He came through it ok and will run well on Saturday.

“He's taking on a couple of handy ones like The Jackal but he'll be getting weight in this instead of giving another handy one weight in Sydney.

WARWICK FARM, February 25, 2009 - Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will give his two-year-old filly Dove Lake the chance gain a Golden Slipper start after making a winning debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.

A $500,000 yearling purchase, Dove Lake showed abundant speed to race on the pace throughout the event before fending off the challengers in the straight.

“She is a very fast filly,” Lees said. “She's got that good natural speed which is a real bonus with two-year-olds.

“She can still improve off that run and she didn't get things all her own way out there.

“She's definitely a nice filly.”

Lees said he would take the daughter of Flying Spur home and assess how she pulls up from the run before confirming his intentions to run the filly again at Randwick in March.

NEWCASTLE, February 18, 2010 - Trainer Kris Lees knows his three-year-old filly Zingaling faces a big ask on Saturday at Rosehill but he did declare she is a filly that the trainer has plenty of time for.

Zingaling resumes from a spell in the McGrath Foundation Ladies Lunch Handicap over 1100m.

“It's a pretty hot race and they might be a bit sharp for her but she is a nice filly,” Lees said.

The daughter of Redoute's Choice has only had three starts, recording Warwick Farm and Gosford wins with a second placing at Randwick thrown in.

Lees took the filly to Wyong on February 12 where she worked home strongly to record a second placing in an 800 metre trial, a performance which pleased her trainer.

“I thought her effort in the trial was pretty good,” he said. “She chased home Mary's Grace and she's a proven open class mare.”

Lees said he thought Zingaling had “each-way” claims on Saturday but in his opinion it is a “strong race” and provided his filly is hitting the line he'll be more than happy.

NEWCASTLE, February 18, 2009 - An exhibition gallop at Newcastle on Saturday will assist trainer Kris Lees in deciding the next run for his gun filly Elimbari as he attempts to qualify her for the Golden Slipper.

Lees is considering the Group II Silver Slipper Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday week and the Group III Kindergarten Stakes seven days later at Warwick Farm.

“The Kindergarten was always the plan but with the likes of Solar Charged heading there I'm giving the Silver Slipper plenty of thought,” Lees said.

“She's come to hand very quickly over the past couple of weeks so we'll see what happens on Saturday before I decide where and when she runs.”

Lees said the three-quarter sister to Amelia's Dream dropped 10kgs after her tough debut win at Rosehill on January 16 but she's come on “better than” he'd hoped over the past four weeks.

“After the race she was 445kg but I weighed her yesterday and she was up to 475kg,” he said.

“I'm not one that pays a great deal of attention to weights of horses but she'sgot bigger andstronger in the last month.

“She's really thriving at the moment.”

Lees said despite the debut run taking its toll on his filly he believes she could have pushed on to the Blue Diamond but if he'd chosen that path the Golden Slipper would have been an unlikely mission.

“It really came down to being one or the other and I thought it was in the filly's best interests to give her a little break before chasing a grand final,” he said.

Elimbari is currently a $15 chance in the Golden Slipper with TAB Sportsbet.

NEWCASTLE, February 11, 2010 – Kris Lees believes his talented sprinter Pins On Parade wont get a better chance to become a Group III winner than in Saturday's Southern Cross Stakes at Randwick.

The speedy son of Pins showed he's returned better than ever when recording a tough win at Randwick on January 30.

“His racing manners have been exemplarity this preparation and it was a very determined win the other day,” Lees said.

With a 2.5kg weight drop this weekend and a lack of serious speed on paper, Lees said this is the five-year-old's opportunity to claim a Group III race.

“When you get to this level it is never easy but I doubt he'll get a better chance to win a group III,” he said.

“He's drawn out wide but you can get away with that at Randwick and aside from Dreamscape there doesn't appear to be too many that race up on the speed.

“The horse is as fit as I can get him and I think he'll be thereabouts when the whips are cracking on Saturday.”

NEWCASTLE, February 4, 2010 - Newcastle trainer Kris Lees has had a stellar start to the New Year winning 17 races and he's hoping his good run will continue on Saturday when Motspur lines up in the Reduce Your Carbon Hoofprint Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill.

Included among the 17 winners have been five city or feature wins with Motspur doing the job for the stable at his last start at Rosehill on January 23.

The seven-year-old gelding has been doing his bit for the team for longer than a month having not finished further back than fourth in his last 12 starts.

“He's just a genuine, tough bugger that is really loving his racing,” Lees said.

“He's a horse that has always had plenty of ability, I ran him in the Galaxy at his fourth start, but he's been plagued with problems.

“Right now though he's sound and happy and that's showing in the results he's been producing over the past year.”

Lees said the horse has also “formed something of a bond” with local Newcastle apprentice Blake Spriggs who will again provide his 3kg claim to aid the chances of Motspur on Saturday.

“They have really gelled,” he said.

“He's had four race rides on the old boy and they've won twice and finished second and fourth on another two occasions.

“It's amazing how often you see it with the older horses and how they seem to take to the riding styles of the kids.”

Lees said Saturday's contest is “a lot tougher” that the race he won a fortnight ago over Saturday's track and distance but his veteran galloper shouldn't be ruled out.

“The horse is great and he loves the sting out of the track which he is going to get,” he said.

“He's drawn well and never puts in a bad one at Rosehill so he'll be thereabouts.”

GOLD COAST, January 10, 2009 - Tough mare Hidden Wonder continued her unbeaten run for the Kris Lees stable when she scored a gutsy win in the $250,000 Magic Millions Stayers Cup (1800m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.

Having her third start for Lees Racing, Hidden Wonder recorded another marvellous result for Prime Thoroughbreds and her owners.

"It was a great, touch effort," Lees said. "It looked like it was run at a pretty generous clip."

"She fought off the other leader and it was a good strong win."

For Lees the win was the third from just three starts with the daughter of Danzero and he continues to learn more about the mare with each start.

"I didn't really know the mare. But she's kept on surprising me when she goes to the races," he said.

"She's only been with us for the three runs - so it's very rewarding and I have to thank Joe [O'Neill] for that."

O'Neill, purchased Hidden Wonder for just $50,000 from the draft of Bellerive Stud at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling Sale and he was a happy man in the mounting yard.

"This is a big day and to win this race is phenomenal," he said.

"She's won two at Randwick. She's won here and she's won in Melbourne and Adelaide."

"She's won in four states now. She's a very good mare."

"There's some lovely people in the horse and I think there will be some very excited people around."

O'Neill said the mare's connections were originally planning to send the mare to stud, but when arriving in New South Wales it was decided to give her another campaign with a new trainer.

"We were thinking about breeding from her but then we changed our mind," he said.

"She's very tough and she comes from a very good family. I've bought two more Danzero fillies this year - and they will be advertised soon!"

She's now won over $362,000 and being a black type performer she would be a valuable broodmare once her racing days are over.

Lees said he would look at giving the five-year-old an Autumn Carnival campaign in Sydney. She is likely to have a break between now and then.

"She's had a big campaign. It's hard to spell a mare when they are in form but there might be something at the carnival for her," he said.