PROMINENT standardbred breeders Trevor and Marjorie Leis have enjoyed much success in Tasmania and their impact on juvenile classics looks set to continue following the heats of the rich Bandbox (sires stakes) series at The TOTE Racing Centre in Launceston on Sunday night.
Their fillies Klebnikova Leis and Azarenka Leis won their respective heats impressively and would only need to take that form into the final in a fortnight to fight out the finish.
Klebnikova Leis was sent out a short-price favourite at $1.70 but made light work of facing the breeze for the entirety to sc ore comfortably from race leader Daisy Adele with Kristins Niadh a close-up third.
The filly (Life Sign-Kvasha Leis) has won four and placed seven times from 12 starts this season to take her career wins to six.
She scored an impressive win in the $10,000 Princess Of Pace in Hobart last month, which followed minor placings in the Tasmanian Oaks and Killarney Stud Bouquet.
Azarenka Leis (Armbro Operative-Romanova Leis) led all the way to win her heart and her winning mile rate of 2m.02.5 was better than Klebnikova Leis (2.03) although neither was fully spent on the line.
She outgunned the long odds-on favourite Benediction ($1.30) to score by over three metres from that filly with the lightly raced Twenty One Grand 1-1/2 metres away third.
Azarenka Leis has a far less impressive record of three career wins and three minor placings from her 18 starts.
The Leis’ are happy to spread their horses around with Klebnikova Leis prepared at Perth by Bill Dornauf while Azarenka Leis is trained at Sassafras by Shelley Barnes.
The Bandbox final will be held in Launceston on June 5.