Newcastle trainer Kris Lees arrived at Randwick on Monday with "a really good horse" and an emerging one – and left satisfied and surprised by a group 3 treble.
![Rough diamond: Brenton Avdulla rides Invincible Gem to win the Spring Stakes.](/web/20170405191227im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/b/y/0/u/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gubxjh.png/1486971618385.jpg)
While Le Romain did what "really good horses" do winning the Southern Cross Stakes, it was Invincible Gem, which surprised in the Spring Stakes.
Lee got his first win in the the race, which is usually raced on his home track and admitted punters were more confident than he was.
"She keeps surprising; when she was favourite I thought that was a bit odd against some good three-year-olds, but punters are better judges than me," Lees said. "I expected her to run a good but not smash them like that."
Invincible Gem raced away to a 3¾-length win from Faraway Town with Salsonic completing a fillies trifecta after getting third on protest from Gauguin.
Lees might press on further into the autumn with Invincible Gem.
"She has gone to whole new level this preparation," he said. "I said to the owners after her last win I was looking for a reason to give her a break. But she just thrived, so we gave her a throw at the stumps and she knocked them out of the ground."
It came after dual group 1 winner Le Romain came out and was too strong first-up.
"I suppose he's possibly still a touch underrated but I doubt that's going to be the case by the end of the autumn," Lees said. "He never disappoints me and you saw the way he found a little bit extra late. He is just a really good horse."
Le Romain scored by a short head from Big Money with three-quarters of a length back to Snippets Land in third. Lees will target the Canterbury Stakes, George Ryder Stakes and Doncaster with Le Romain, which he believes is yet to peak.
"I thought he'd still matured coming back this preparation. Mainly mentally but also a bit physically. He was a late foal," Lees said.
Zestful made it a hat-trick for Lees when it saluted with Jason Collet aboard in the 1200m Triscay Stakes.
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