Twelve months after winning the inaugural Big Dance with Rustic Steel, Kris Lees has returned to add the Little Dance to his CV with smart gelding Spangler.
While considered a consolation race for horses who don’t make the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) field, the Little Dance (1600m) boats a prizemoney purse of $750,000, providing a significant windfall for Spangler’s large group of Australian Bloodstock owners.
Ridden astutely by Tommy Berry, Spangler ‘babysat’ favourite Cotehele for much of the race and while the latter then had to head back towards the inside in search of a clear passage through, Spangler enjoyed a relatively unimpeded run down the outside.
Spangler ($7.50) finished hard to score by 1-1/4 lengths over Lion’s Roar ($7) with Cotehele ($3.50 fav) another half-neck away third.
Berry said he was keen to stick with the Lees galloper after partnering him at him final lead-up run.
“I was convinced he was the horse to be on,” Berry said.
“I don’t ride a lot for Kris (Lees), but every time I do, he gives me a good ride. Hopefully that leads to a few more.
“He travelled sweetly for me in the run. I had the favourite, Cotehele right where I wanted him on the inside of me so he was always in a winning position. He’s got such a lethal turn of foot this horse.”
With Lees at Flemington where he had Kalapour in the Melbourne Cup, stable representative Andrew Le Jeune held the fort at Randwick.
He said the Melbourne Cup Day feature had been on their radar since Spangler took out the Provincial-Midway Championships Final at Randwick in April and Berry’s confidence in the horse had underwritten the stable’s own belief.
“Tommy rode him in the Wildcard and afterwards got off and he was very keen to stay with him for this afternoon, so he knew,” Le Jeune said.
“Blinkers back on today as well. He got a beautiful run, three-wide with a bit of cover. There was a bit of argy-bargy on the corner but he was just too good in the end.”
