Trainer Matthew Smith is set to test the staying credentials of his outstanding mare Idle Flyer following her breakthrough Group 1 success during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Idle Flyer claimed victory in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on Day Two of The Championships and will now head north as the headline act for Smith’s Brisbane carnival team.
After discussions with the mare’s ownership group last Friday, connections agreed to target the Group 2 $500,000 Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 9.
“We’ve decided to go to the Hollindale and if she runs the 1800m strongly, then we will look at the Doomben Cup,” Smith said.
Idle Flyer has been installed on the third line of betting at $8 for the Group 1 $1 million Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 23, with Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours the $4 favourite.
An alternative path had been considered, keeping the mare fresh for shorter races such as the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and Tatt’s Tiara (1500m), but that would have required her to race deeper into the winter.
Instead, Smith is leaning toward giving Idle Flyer a break following the Doomben Cup before preparing her for the major spring carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne.
“We felt by going to the Hollindale and potentially the Doomben Cup, we will find out for sure if she runs 2000m,” Smith said.
“This will open up a lot of doors for us with this mare in the spring. It also ensures she gets a longer break for winter than if we kept going for the Stradbroke and Tiara later in the Brisbane carnival.”
Elsewhere, Smith provided an update on talented sprinter Headwall, who is progressing well in his recovery and is expected to trial in around two weeks.
Headwall had been a potential contender for The Everest last spring following his impressive first-up win in the Concorde Stakes, before being sidelined with a leg injury.
“Headwall is coming up really well,” Smith said. “I think there is every chance we can get him back racing towards the back end of the Brisbane carnival.”
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