Lees hoping for good Time in Gong

[Wandering Eyes]

Tavi Time (NZ) (Tavistock) will be chasing his third feature race win in 12 months when he lines up in the Gong.

Kris Lees will decide in the next 24 hours how many runners he will saddle up in the $1 million the Gong, but Tavi Time will be a definite starter despite a wide draw.

The consistent performer has barrier 16 and stablemate Loch Eagle (Lonhro) 18, the latter having also been nominated for the Mooloolaba Cup (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast this weekend.

Lees will assess both races before making a call on Loch Eagle but says Tavi Time heads to the Group 3 Gong (1600m) a live chance, provided he gets luck from the gate.

“Awkward gates, but there is a forecast for a bit of rain, so you never know with Kembla,” Lees said.

“It has always been the plan, the Big Dance into this race with Tavi Time.

“He has come on well, and he didn’t have a great deal of luck in the Big Dance.”

Tavi Time didn’t make the cut for the Gong last year, instead finishing third in the 1600m consolation, but he finds himself securely in the feature race field on Saturday having collected the Summer and Scone Cups in the past 12 months.

He hasn’t been beaten far in any of his three campaign runs, including last time out in the Big Dance (1600m) when just over three lengths from Gong rival Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) after enduring a chequered passage in the straight.

Lees says a genuinely run race and an uninterrupted passage are key to Tavi’s Time chances at Kembla Grange.

“I’d suggest tempo and a nice, smooth run,” he said.

“Big fields, that doesn’t always happen, but if he can get the right set-up, he is always effective.”

Lord Of Biscay (Lope de Vega) was also a Gong nomination but didn’t secure a berth and like Tavi Time last year, he will go around in the benchmark 88 consolation.

He finished just ahead of his stablemate in the Big Dance and from barrier five, Lees anticipated a bold showing at Kembla.

“He didn’t make the field for the Gong, but that race looks a nice option for him,” Lees said.

“He’s got a nice gate, and he has been knocking on the door for a win.”

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