Well-travelled sprinter Way To The Stars will return to his home state for the first time in more than a year at Hawkesbury where trainer Matt Smith expects him to run a bold race.
A dual Listed winner, Smith says the gelding has had genuine excuses at his past two starts, having had no luck from the outside gate in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) before striking an unsuitable wet track at Flemington last time out.
He will get his favoured good surface in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush (1100m) and Smith says a low draw in barrier three is key in the field of 14.
“We had no hope in the Oakleigh Plate from the outside gate. We probably should have scratched,” Smith said.
“And then we ran on a track that was wet in Melbourne, and he didn’t like that at all.
“I think he is back to his best. He’s a horse that needs to get his first 400 right, and if he can get that right, he can be competitive.”
Way To The Stars heads into Saturday’s race having had five weeks between runs, with a trial in between to keep him ticking over.
Nash Rawiller rides and Smith regards his charge as a genuine chance in an open race.
“He’s been up at the farm for a few weeks and has done a bit of work on the sand. He had that trial and he’s good to go. He’s fresh, fit, well,” he said.
“It’s a good race. There are plenty of chances in it, and he’s one of them.”
Stablemate World Alliance needs one more scratching to vault into the Gold Rush field and if he can sneak in, he’s another capable of making his presence felt.
The six-year-old has won three of his four first-up starts, is proven at the course and distance, and has drawn immediately outside Way To The Stars in barrier four.
“If he gets the right set-up, he is always dangerous,” Smith said.
“He needs tempo, which he’ll get here.
“He’s fit, and he’s well and I can’t fault him. His work was sharp on Tuesday morning so he’s ready to go.”
Smith is also hoping emerging gelding Golden Straand can continue his rise through the grades the Blake’s Marine Handicap (1100m) after taking his record to four wins from nine starts with his first-up victory at Warwick Farm.
“He’s a really good horse. He could be in that stakes race, but he’s going through his grades,” Smith said.
“He’ll be very hard to beat in that race.
“He could end up in Queensland, for sure. The only thing with him is he needs good ground. His only blemish was on a wet track at Randwick, and he didn’t go on that at all.”