The powerful Kris Lees stable won the $400,000 Provincial Championship last year at Randwick with Danish Twist and will seek back to back wins with lightly raced Redoute’s Choice mare Clevedon Bay, a $410,000 Inglis Easter purchase from the Newgate Farm draft for Scone Bloodstock Services.
After carrying an average of 58.5kg in her previous five starts, Clevedon Bay ended a frustrating sequence of defeats with a swooping victory under 54kg in the $150,000 qualifier at Newcastle on Wednesday over 1400 metres.
“It was great giving her an opportunity to carry a lighter weight because she’s not a big mare,” Lees said.
“She’d been racing very consistently but with big weights and she really let down today. She produced what we’ve always thought she is capable of.”
Clevedon Bay runs for well-known owners Ron and Judy Wanless and has the overall record of two wins and five placings from eight starts with prizemoney of $120,000.
Bred by SF Bloodstock she is one of two winners from Group II winner Kosi Baym who has a weanling colt by Wandjina and was covered last spring by Hinchinbrook.
Newgate Farm have a stellar draft of eight for the 2017 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale, click here to see the pedigrees.