Kris Lees and Saganaki

Kris Lees was born to train. As the son of the legendary Max Lees, Kris worked as his father’s foreman for 15 years, producing 20 group-one wins including champion two-year-old Luskin Star and high-end stallion Snippets.

Kris learnt from his father Max about what it takes to evolve talent and keep a champion up and running.

Thrust into the role as Lees Racing’s trainer following the death of his father in August 2003, Kris quickly proved he was equal to the task by winning $2m in prize money for his owners in his first full season of training.

Only 12 months later, he captured his first Group 1 success when stable favourite County Tyrone (coincidentally father Max’s final Group 1 winner in the 2002 Queensland Derby) won the 2004 The Metropolitan at Royal Randwick.

He won New South Wales’ richest race – the $4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick during The Championships – with brilliant mare Lucia Valentina, to give him his 10th Group 1 triumph. Kris also won $1m Randwick Guineas with surprise packet Le Romain in 2016. He regularly features in the Top 20 list of Australian trainers.

Saganaki is a 2015 colt by Real Saga from Cubism. Bred out of Australia’s most successful Broodmare line and a leading Sire, Saganaki has pedigree on his side.

Half-sister, See Miracles, had a strong start to her career with eight podiums and a pair of wins already.

Saganaki’s two full sisters both won on debut. Older sister Stroak won her first two races at Doomben in 2013 while Cuban Saga made her debut in April of this year, winning over 1200m at Sunshine Coast.

The best news of all of this is that Saganaki is tipped to be the finest specimen amongst these siblings – and his training and trials so far has proven him to be a keen worker and a strong runner.