Kris Lees quipped after winning the race last year named in honour of his late father that his dad would have rather won the $1 million event on the day.

And while Kris was pleased to finally claim the $160,000 Max Lees Classic with Gobi Desert, after multiple placings in the two-year-old race, his sights have always been on taking out the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) on his home track’s annual standalone program.

Dylan Gibbons rides Infancy to victory in the Fireball Stakes at Randwick in March last year. Credit: Getty Images

Lees trained the runner-up in the race’s first three editions with Tactical Advantage (2019), Special Reward (2020) and Wandabaa (2021) but he hasn’t threatened since.

The Hunter, now at group 2 level, and the day’s staying feature, The Beauford, elevated to

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