Melbourne trainer Robert Smerdon has been to Royal Ascot as a spectator and is looking forward to his first visit as a participant.
High quality sprinter Shamal Wind will join Brazen Beau as one of Australia’s representatives at the Royal meeting in June.
The Oakleigh Plate winner will target the King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) on the first day of the carnival.
Smerdon is no stranger to travelling horses overseas having had success with jumper Zabenz in the US and travelled Bomber Bill, Premier Copper and Delzao to Hong Kong in the past.
He said connections had knocked back a start in the Al Quoz Sprint at Saturday’s Dubai World Cup meeting with the daughter of Dubawi and are keen on heading to England.
“That looks like the way we’ll be going,” Smerdon said.
“And while over there the owners will think about a stallion, get her in foal to southern hemisphere time and bring her back here.”
Smerdon said Shamal Wind would arrive in England 12 days before the race.
Her stablemate Politeness, who has been troubled with a hoof injury, will trial at Cranbourne on Monday with a view to an Adelaide campaign.
Smerdon was originally aiming Politeness at the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill on March 14 but was forced to abandon those plans because of the hoof problem.
Politeness had a jump-out at Sandown last Tuesday and Smerdon wants to get a better guide of how she is going via a 990m trial.
English import Noble Protector, a brilliant winner first-up of the Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 14, will head to the Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Rosehill on April 11.
“She pulled up great,” Smerdon said.
“The majority of her races in the UK were right handed, so she’ll have no problems with that.”
