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By Tony Megahey

The multiple Group-winning stables of Kris Lees and Paul Perry are primed to dominate an in-depth TAB Muswellbrook Race Club meeting on Friday afternoon.

They are represented in force, with favorites in most of the eight races with performed mare Awasita the pick of the Lees's runners. Awasita, with Randwick short course placings behind talented Sugar Bay Leonard and Top Striker on her resume, is second-up from a spell in the feature Arrowfield Stud Lone Pine Charge 1000m Handicap. Andrew Gibbons will ride Awasita, along with several other strong stable contenders on a day that sees mostly capacity fields.

“She’s a proven city class mare, she’s earned the 61.5 kilos, she’s won twice second-up and she’ll appreciate firmer going from when she resumed at Scone,” offered Lees's racing manager, Lucas Miller. “Her best form is on firm going, she’ll get that, she’s progressed and she is the class runner.”

The stable contests the second event with promising two-year-old Excelamour also to be ridden by Gibbons.

“A really nice progressive filly, we’ve set her for that upcoming two-year-old feature at Scone, and she showed good speed to lead and run second at Newcastle. Obviously the wide draw makes it tougher, but she’s progressed and we have got an opinion of her.”

Powercraft contests the fourth event, Awasita the sixth race, and finally Munjai again for Gibbons in the last.

“Powercraft drew wide at Scone, he presents a lot better from an inside draw here, he’s fitter and won and placed previously. And Munjai - well she’s a really nice filly, her win at Scone was strong and she’s progressed.

“But in saying that, the percentages are invariably quite minimal going from a maiden to winning a class one. It’s a capacity field, some strong stables and decent form.”

None better than Brett Cavanough’s Lunar Duchess who was a close second in a Randwick 1000m TAB Highway to talented Fifteen Sunflowers in October.

View the final fields with full form & replays for Muswellbrook here