Which horse is set to fill Mugatoos void?
Newcastle trainer Kris Lees will be without his stable star Mugatoo for the spring, but he believes hes found a ready-made replacement. Mugatoo wont be back until the new year after suffering a tendon injury when tailing off behind winter sensation Zaaki in the Group 1 Doomben Cup. It was a bitter blow for Lees and owners Australian Bloodstock after Mugatoo had risen through the ranks to become one of Australias best middle-distance gallopers over the past 12 months. The UK import provided Lees with his maiden win in his hometown feature, the Group 3 Newcastle Cup last year before running second in the Group 1 The Metropolitan and fourth in the Cox Plate. He returned in the autumn to win the $5 million All-Star Mile at The Valley and started favourite in the Doncaster Mile, finishing fourth, while also running sixth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Mugatoo wins the All-Star Mile. Photo: George Salpigtidis/Getty Images. But a year on, the trainer believes another import in Luncies could be ready to step up and fill the void. Luncies created a big impression when scoring in track record time at just his second Australian start at the Hawkesbury stand-alone meeting back in April. Hes a horse Im expecting to step up again and have a good spring, Lees said. Hes come back in good shape and I like the way hes progressing. Hes still in the benchmarks but I think he can make his way through the grades. Hes a nice stayer. A horse that could head towards a race like the Newcastle Cup and then you never know. You just have to look at what Mugatoo achieved last year after winning the Newcastle Cup and from there, theres plenty of targets if hes up to a race like that.