John Schell
Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith has been enjoying success of late and is banking on the run to continue at Kembla Grange on Tuesday.
Smith won Saturday’s listed $200,000 Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill with Portland, while he produced Cool Lad to score at the Illawarra Grange meeting and had Beauty Swift run a brave race to finish sixth in the group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.
He will start a couple of key chances on Tuesday, starting with debut runner Touching Hans in the PFD Food Services Maiden Plate (1000m), with Ashley Morgan taking the ride.
A gelding by Hanseatic, Touching Hans has had three barrier trials.
“He’s a horse that has shown some promise,” Smith said. “He won his trial at Hawkesbury last September and then went off for a break. We brought him back and he ran fourth in a Warwick Farm trial before winning another at Gosford. He’s ready to get to the races now and the Kembla Grange event looks a nice race for him to start off in.”
Jockey Tyler Schiller will link with Smith when he rides Cool Rupert in the Wests Illawarra Maiden Handicap (1500m).
Cool Rupert was placed in his first three starts last September and October and has had two starts back from a spell for a fourth and a fifth, with both recent starts at Kembla Grange.
“His first two starts were at Kembla Grange, and he ran second and third in each of them,” Smith said. “He’s got the ability to run a bold race and that’s exactly what I’m expecting on Tuesday.”
Smith also has Miss Capitale engaged to start in the final event at Kembla Grange with Morgan booked to ride from a wide gate.
Meanwhile, fellow Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli will attempt to thwart Smith at Kembla Grange when Copycat and Our Lady Peace line up against Touching Hans.
Supplied by Racing NSW
