Three-year-old Eclair Flyer can book his place in next month’s Group One The Goodwood in Adelaide should he hold his form at Flemington.
The lightly-raced sprinter has won three of his five starts and is set to build on his impressive first-up win over stablemate Lone Rock at Moonee Valley on April 2 in Saturday’s My Room Plate (1100m).
Trainer Robert Smerdon has likened Eclair Flyer to his more accomplished stablemate Eclair Mystic who is a Listed winner of the Zeditave Stakes and twice Group-placed in the Standish Handicap and Autumn Stakes.
He said there was little between the two horses and hadn’t discounted the possibility of them clashing in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville on May 8.
“He (Eclair Flyer) has only had the five runs but he’s honest,” Smerdon said.
His only unplaced run was at Flemington when he was making his debut and finished second last in May last year.
Jockey Chris Symons reported that Eclair Flyer didn’t handle his only crack at the straight course.
Formerly trained by Greg Eurell, the Flying Spur gelding was spelled after the race and transferred to Smerdon who is hoping that with extra race experience he will be more tractable at his second look at the Flemington straight.
“He was a two-year-old back then and he’s had four runs since for me,” Smerdon said.
“Saturday will tell us where we go with him and if he going well enough he can have a crack at the Goodwood as a three-year-old.”
Eclair Flyer is having only his second start at 1100 metres. He has won over 955m and 1000m at Moonee Valley and 1000m at Sandown.
Raced by Thomas Li and Reece Murphy, Eclair Flyer was a $300,000 yearling and Smerdon is upbeat about him coping with longer distances given his dam Shizu won the 1999 Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m).
“You think he would be guaranteed for 1400 metres and a fair chance for 1600 metres on paper,” Smerdon said.
Meanwhile, Smerdon is yet to decide whether to keep a course to the Goodwood with Eclair Mystic, who is also owned by Li.
The Stratum gelding has won six of his 10 starts but hasn’t raced since pulling up with an uneven gait after finishing last to Stirling Grove at Caulfield on February 26.
“He’s had a little freshen up and is a possibility as well for the Goodwood but I don’t know whether to go on with him at the moment,” Smerdon said.
AAP TURF
