Idle Flyer has upstaged a talent-laden field to give trainer Matthew Smith his second Queen Of The Turf Stakes title in a stirring renewal of the Group One feature.
As anticipated, the free-bowling Pride Of Jenni adopted catch-me-if-you-can tactics, stringing the field out and ensuring a testing 1600-metre contest.
Zac Lloyd positioned Idle Flyer in fourth and just as eventual runner-up Lady Shenandoah claimed the leader, Lloyd and Idle Flyer chimed in with their run to overhaul her by three-quarters of a length.
Treasurethe Moment nabbed third, another three-quarters of a length away, Smith saying that winning a feature race over The Championships made the early starts and long hours of his job worthwhile.
“It’s what you get up in the mornings for. It means everything,” Smith said.
“I just can’t believe she’s won. I knew she was going good, but I didn’t think she’d win that. We’ll take it.”
Smith hatched a plan to target Idle Flyer at the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) after she won the Angst Stakes over the course and distance in the spring.
After a slight setback to start her campaign, he had to play catch-up, but Idle Flyer proved she was back on track with her last start Emancipation Stakes (1500m) success.
“Every now and then one lands, and she landed today,” Smith said.
“She has run a strong mile here, and you need to run a strong mile to win these good mile races. You need to be able to run further, probably.
“When she won last time in over the mile we thought this is the race for her, it was just a matter of getting her here fit and well.”
Lloyd has built an incredible affinity with Idle Flyer and has now ridden her eight times for seven wins.
The Golden Slipper-winning jockey judged Saturday’s race beautifully, getting on the back of Cox Plate placegetter Treasurethe Moment and timing his run to perfection.
“Fantastic to win on her. I love her as a horse, and that shows in our record together,” Lloyd said.
“For her to go into that race, it was a proper horse race against the best milers in the country, they’ve got a proper horse on their hands.
“I got a lovely run today in behind Lady Shenandoah and Treasurethe Moment, and I was in the perfect spot at the 600, and my horse delivered.”
Smith said there was a chance Idle Flyer could press onto Brisbane with connections considering a start in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in June.
It was the trainer’s second Queen Of The Turf success after the victory by Nimalee four years ago.
