Matt Smith experienced a wave of nausea while watching a replay of the Gosford Cup, but he now holds onto hope that a shift in luck for Portland during the Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill on Saturday could lift his spirits after a challenging preparation. This race could serve as a solid base for the upcoming spring.
The trainer from Warwick Farm believes that Portland is “just ready to win” following his performance at Gosford, where he drew gate three and delivered strong finishes in his first Australian campaign. The Dubawi five-year-old finished fourth on the fence, but when the runaway leader set an aggressive early pace, the position became “no-man’s land” at the front of the pack. As a result, he ended up finishing sixth.
“It started off well because he had the opportunity not to be out the back, but he just ended up in the wrong spot,” Smith explained.
“Previously, we didn’t draw a good gate when we wanted to get a spot. However, all of his runs have been excellent, and you just think this horse is ready to win.”
“Winning this race would be great, and it would give him a little break. That would make it a good first prep because the only poor performance was last start, and there were reasons for that.”
“Portland is still acclimatising and isn’t quite there yet. I believe this prep will have him ready for the next one.”
Portland, priced at $10, faces a tough draw in gate 12 on Saturday, but Smith is optimistic about the potential of wet ground. Winona Costin will take over the ride from Kerrin McEvoy, who will be at Eagle Farm.
“He definitely wants a wet track,” Smith said.
“I don’t know about a really heavy track, but I’m sure a soft or a normal heavy track, he will be really good on it.”
Glastonbury Girl (13) and Anythink Goes (12) also face challenging draws at Rosehill, competing in races five and six respectively.
“The barrier gods aren’t with me this week,” he admitted.
“Glastonbury Girl is a nice filly. Her work throughout the preparation has been fantastic, but the draw makes it difficult.”
“Anythink Goes had a good run at Gosford the other day. He wasn’t any chance from the gate, but he was finding the line. His work has been good, and 1500 meters is all right.”
His biggest challenge this week came with Beauty Swift ($26), who will start from the second-widest gate in the Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm. Beauty Swift showed strength when finishing second in the Rough Habit Plate last start and is heading to Hong Kong after Saturday.
Smith also has Lyles racing at Eagle Farm in the second race after scratching him from a rain-affected Randwick last Saturday.
“We pulled the right rein there,” he said.
“Hopefully, we get a better track for him. He’s going good, and it’s a nice race for him if it’s not too wet.”
