Sense Of Occasion heading to Gosford Cup

Sense Of Occasion has a Doncaster Mile ballot exemption but a more immediate target is the Listed Gosford Gold Cup.

The Kris Lees-trained gelding won the Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) last month at Randwick and is scheduled to have his next start in Friday week’s Gosford Gold Cup over 2100m.

“He had a solid gallop this morning on the grass and he’s in really good order,” Lees said.

“He’ll run in the Gosford Cup and then we’ll probably back off for the autumn, and he possibly lines up in the Doncaster.”

The Villiers Stakes win earned the six-year-old automatic entry to the $3 million Doncaster Mile in April.

“Whether he’s a Doncaster horse, in all likelihood he’s not,” Lees said.

“But the fact that he gets in and there’s such big prize money on offer, we’ll discuss it as we get closer.

“But if the owners wish to go that way I wouldn’t deny them that chance, for sure.”

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The Doncaster will be the main autumn aim for stablemate Le Romain who has already won twice at Group One level over 1600m.

Le Romain added the Group One Cantala Stakes at Flemington on October 29 to his Randwick Guineas win earlier in the year.

The four-year-old is pleasing Lees in his build-up towards the autumn and is not far off a barrier trial.

“He’s ticking over quite nicely and he’ll likely trial in mid-January,” Lees said.

“He’s come back in pretty good order. From spring to autumn it’s probably a quicker turnaround than most spells, but he looks really well.

“Obviously he’ll be aimed towards the Doncaster and we’ll just see which path we take.”

Le Romain is expected to resume on February 11 at Randwick with the options the Group Three Southern Cross Stakes over 1200m or the Apollo Stakes over 1400m.

If he heads to the Apollo, Le Romain will run into champion mare Winx who is slated to kick off her campaign in the weight-for-age race.