Trainer Kris Lees has chosen the Winter Cup at Rosehill on Saturday as Nurse Kitchen’s weekend assignment.

After careful consideration, Lees opted to keep Nurse Kitchen (Jason Collett) at home for the Listed race rather than send her to Queensland with stablemates Our Gravano and Dal Cielo for the $175,000 Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast.

Both races are at 2400m but Lees feels the Rosehill event is the “softer option”.

Lees will also run Doukhan in the Winter Cup with non-claiming apprentice Jean Van Overmeireas his rider.

Blinkers are going on former Melbourne mare Nurse Kitchen, and he is hoping they will help her focus better during the race.

Nurse Kitchen, at only her third start since joining Lees’ team, tailed the field to the turn in a 2000m handicap at Rosehill on June 16 before finishing seventh to Black On Gold, beaten just under three lengths.

The mare’s only two wins from a 10-start career have been on a slow track in the G2 Fillies’ Classic at Moonee Valley in 2016 and on the Geelong synthetic surface in a 1300m 2YO maiden.

She was also narrowly beaten in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill in March last year on a Heavy 9.

Doukhan, edged out by Plot Twist in the Stayers’ Cup over 3200m at Randwick on June 9, is getting ready for the $150,000 Queen’s Cup (3200m) at the Sunshine Coast on July 14.

A Rosehill winner over 2400m from only three starts at the track, the July 14 race will be Doukhan’s fourth “marathon” in recent months.

He ran seventh in the Sydney Cup at Randwick in April, fifth in the Ramsden Stakes at Flemington in May and then narrowly missed out on landing the Stayers Cup.