Le Romain gives Hugh Bowman a Group one double at Flemington

Le Romain
Le Romain gave Hugh Bowman his second Group one win of the day when it won the Group 1 Cantala Stakes at Flemington

SYDNEY-based thoroughbreds have dominated the Melbourne spring carnival to date and it continued when Le Romain won the $1 million Cantala Stakes at Flemington.

The Kris Lees-trained gelding has been a consistent runner at the highest level throughout its career and a change in tactics was enough to change its fortunes.

“He ran a hell of a race in the Epsom Handicap at Randwick when there was a tearaway leader,” winning jockey Hugh Bowman said. “This horse took the field up to them and he felt it late, we were quietly confident.

“The Kris Lees camp and myself, he drew to get the nice run and that’s exactly what he got.

“He was dominant today.”

Bowman continued his good day at Flemington after he won aboard Flying Artie in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes and he paid credit to Kris Lees who always brings his horses to win.

“Congratulations to Kris and his team at Newcastle, he’s a terrific trainer and a great friend,” Bowman said.

“He doesn’t bring them for a trip away, he brings them if he thinks they’re right.”

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Bowman suffered defeat at the hands of Le Romain in the Randwick Guineas, but was happy to be aboard on Saturday.

“He won the Randwick Guineas beating a good horse Press Statement who I rode. He’s a horse with an excellent record, he’s an outstanding horse,” he added.

Le Romain paid a value price of $15 at Bet365.com, but Kris Lees’ stable didn’t underrated the gelding which Lees hopes can produce a lengthy career.

“He has been underrated in some circles, but not by the stables. We’ve always had a really good opinion of him,” Lees said.

“We went into the race really confident that he’d run well. I could see Hughie had plenty of horse underneath him, he really dragged him into the race.

“He said before the race, ‘I want to be coming to them, not them coming to me’ which is what happened in the Epsom.

“He’s a gelding, a horse I’d love to get some longevity out of, but it’s hard now, he’s got to stay at this level, but we’ll see where he ends up.”

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