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Zoustar aiming for a first
From the day the outstanding Mahogany won
the “first” TJ Smith Stakes in 1997, when the
race was a Listed event and known as the
Endeavour Stakes, the feature sprint has
attracted Australia’s best sprinters.
Surprisingly no three-year-old colt with an
aspiring stud career has won the race. That’s
the historical bump facing Chris Waller’s brilliant
colt
Zoustar
.
Three-year-olds have won the TJ Smith five
times; three are fillies—Melito (2010), Dilly
Dally (2004) and La Baraka (1998)—and two
are geldings, Century Kid (2001) and Shy Hero
(2000).
Zoustar failed first-up when eighth behind
Appearance in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes
over 1300 metres at Randwick on March 15.
Incredibly, none of the other nine who that
contested the Canterbury Stakes is expected to
start in the TJ Smith.
In Zoustar’s favour is that the only horse to
compete in the Canterbury Stakes on the
way to winning the TJ Smith was Red Oog,
who finished sixth behind Paratroopers in the
2006 Canterbury Stakes (then run at Rosehill)
before beating Glamour Puss and Snitzel in
the TJ Smith.
Zoustar’s sire Northern Meteor finished second
behind Takeover Target in the 2009 TJ Smith.
Go Gordon
Ireland’s trailblazer,
Gordon Lord Byron
, is
aiming to be the first internationally trained
sprinter to win the T J Smith, and he also
would be the first horse to win the George
Ryder Stakes-T J Smith double following his
outstanding win in the Group 1 George Ryder
(1500m) at Rosehill on March 29. His jockey
Craig Williams
won the 2012 T J Smith on
Master Of Design ($31).
The Price is right
Lankan Rupee’s
trainer Mick Price is a very
selective traveller from his Caulfield base in
Melbourne. Price has 21 Group 1 wins on his
CV, but only two in Sydney—the 2009 Queen
Elizabeth Stakes (Pompeii Ruler) and the 2011
Coolmore Classic (Aloha).
Rupee for the money
Lankan Rupee
is chasing his third
consecutive Group 1 win, but his first at
weight-for-age after winning the Melbourne
handicaps, the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and
Newmarket Handicap (1200m).
No horse has completed the Oakleigh Plate-TJ
Smith double and only the unbeaten champion
Black Caviar won the Newmarket on her way to
winning the TJ Smith—her first TJ Smith in 2011.
Weight-For-Age
The best guide to finding the TJ Smith winner
is through the weight-for-age lead-up races
in Melbourne—the Lightning Stakes (1000m)
at Flemington and the William Reid Stakes
(1200m) at Moonee Valley.
Four horses have won the Lightning and T
J Smith—Black Caviar twice (2011, 2013),
Apache Cat (2008) and Mahogany (1997)—and
this year’s Lightning winner Snitzerland is a
major player.
Two horses have won the William Reid and TJ
Smith—of course, Black Caviar did it twice and
Apache Cat. This year’s William Reid Stakes
winner is the Queenslander
Spirit Of Boom.
The odds
The longest-priced winner of the TJ Smith
is Phoenix Park, who won for trainer Gai
Waterhouse in 2002 at $61.
The shortest-priced winner shouldn’t surprise.
In both her wins Black Caviar (2011, 2013)
was $1.14.
A first for Buffering
Buffering
, despite being one of Australia’s
best sprinters since 2011, is having his first
start in the TJ Smith Stakes—he has missed
the past three Sydney autumn carnivals in
preference for a winter campaign in his home
city, Brisbane. His trainer Rob Heathcote,
along with fellow Brisbane trainer, Tony
Gollan (Spirit Of Boom, Temple Of Boom), is
chasing Queensland’s first win in the race.
Backing up
Last year
Bel Sprinter
ran on strongly for third
behind Black Caviar in the TJ Smith. The gelding
is attempting to be the third horse to win the
feature sprint after a placing the previous year.
Takeover Target won in 2009 after finishing
third behind Apache Cat in 2008, and Spinning
Hill won in 2003 after she finished third behind
Phoenix Park in 2002. Spinning Hill also was
runner up to Century Kid in 2001.
The Challenge
No horse has won a Challenge Stakes and TJ
Smith, but the 1000-metre dash at Randwick
on March 15 is shaping as one of the key form
guides—it’s possible that eight of the 10 starters
will line up in the TJ Smith, including the winner
Villa Verde
and runner-up Snitzerland.
The trainers
Gai Waterhouse
has three times won the
race named after her legendary father Tommy
Smith, the most recent Bentley Biscuit in 2007.
Waterhouse has one candidate this year, the
classy filly
Sweet Idea
.
DARLEYT J Smith Stakes
In Focus
