Wellington preview: Trainer David Smith to lock in a few winners
Smith's son of Casino Prince, who won last year's Wellington Cup, will be among a capacity field in this weekend's fixture where the $50,000 purse is dwarfed by the additional spoils of Big Dance Eligibility.
Before all that, Smith has three of Lockdown Gamble's stablemates – Bottom Bar, Spring Prospect and Painite – to saddle-up at the final Central West meeting in New South Wales for the 2024/25 season.
As his past presence on the first Tuesday in November shows, Smith is no stranger to the big stage and could be on one again as soon as three weeks from now.
All going well, Smith aims to add another Highway to his tally via Spring Prospect who is being considered for the 1100m country-only feature on the Winx Stakes undercard at Royal Randwick.
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'She's a horse on the up,'' Smith said.
'She has taken a lot of confidence out of that win at Warren. She thinks she's Queen Bee now and hopefully that transfers to (Tuesday).
'She'll love the wet track, the wetter the better for her, but it is probably a touch awkward draw for her but I expect a few scratchings to come out which would be to her benefit.
'Hopefully Zoe (Hunt) can just park her in behind the speed, one off the fence, and with the confidence she has taken now, she is a horse on a real upward spiral so I'd be sticking with her.'
Stablemate Bottom Bar will have to turn a last into a first if he is to win the Grand Hotel Benchmark 58 Handicap (900m) but it's hardly mission impossible according to his trainer.
'He was probably a touch underdone first-up off the back of just the one trial after a ten-month break,'' Smith reported.
'He had a massive blow afterwards. I thought the run was pretty good. He just came a little bit too wide around the home turn and ended up in the worst part of the track but I thought he did well to battle on to be beaten two and a half lengths.
'He loves the wet. He has only had one start for me on a heavy track and he only just went under when he ran third at Tamworth by the bob of a head so he'll relish the conditions.'
Smith has proven himself to be as good as any and better than most at letting his fingers doing the walking with a string of online purchases that have turned into bargains.
'Exhibit A' could well be the former High Street resident Painite whom he secured for just $800 in May 2023.
Since then, the distant relative of 1983 Adelaide Cup winner Ideal Centreman has banked nigh on $50,000 with the promise of more to come.
'She has a nasty habit in the barriers and she just stepped away a bit dodgy but to get back and run home the way she did around that Cowra track was pretty impressive,'' Smith said.
'All three of my horses will love the wet. It was heavy there at Cowra that day so there is absolutely no problem there.
'The only question mark with her on Tuesday, is she's got to step clean, and if she can do that, I think it brings her right into it, especially on a Heavy track.'
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