Top West Australian horseman Lindsey Smith is set to prepare a team of horses out of the stables of disqualified trainer Darren Weir at Warrnambool.
Smith flew from Perth on Tuesday to begin setting up the satellite operation of 40 boxes he hopes will be given the tick of approval by Racing Victoria on Thursday.
He already has five horses in Victoria awaiting his arrival.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the right opportunity,” Smith told Perth’s TABradio.
“Ten months ago I had a conversation with my biggest owner Chris Wells.
“We were sitting at the races one day and he said ‘you’re bored’ and I said ‘I seem to be going around and around and I feel like I need something to stimulate me’.
“I kept thinking of my time I had with Scales Of Justice when I was at Warrnambool.
“When the opportunity came through Darren’s misfortune, it prompted me to have a crack while the opportunity was there.”
Smith brought Scales Of Justice across to Melbourne in 2017 and spent eight weeks with the Weir operation at the seaside stables.
He has been able to lure former Weir employee Maddie Raymond back to Warrnambool from overseas but does not plan to become as large as Weir was, preferring quality over quantity.
“Without her it wouldn’t have got to this stage,” Smith said.
“She’s highly regarded in Victoria. She knows the system and she’ll help me along the way.”
Smith will not be lost to Perth racing and will be travelling back and forth.
He has picked up Group One winner Malaguerra who will be trained in WA before making the trip across for the spring carnival.
“He’s an older horse with little niggles,” Smith said.
“I can get him 95 per cent fit at home and send him back.
“I can get him aerobically fitter than they can on top of the ground.
“I think it will be good for his mindset to change things up.”
