By John Schell
Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith will attempt to keep the stable momentum going with several chances at the Easter Sunday meeting at Nowra.
Smith prepared Waltham to finish second in last weekend’s Sydney Cup at big odds and enjoyed success at Albury on Thursday when Dubai Darling scored in a Super Maiden.
Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith.Credit: Janie Barrett/SMH
He has Here Comes Hogan kicking off the day at Nowra in the Archer Memorial Statue Unveiling Benchmark 58 Handicap (1100m).
Smith will then have Millie De Lune in the Terrara House Maiden Handicap (1400m), and Rare Moon and The Way Ahead in the Hanlons Window Maiden Plate (1000m).
Promising filly Placid Pearl will round out the day for Smith when she runs in the McDonalds Shoalhaven Benchmark 66 Handicap (1400m).
Form jockey Ashley Morgan will partner Here Comes Hogan, Millie De Lune, Rare Moon and Placid Pearl, while Keagan Latham has been booked to ride The Way Ahead.
“It’s a nice team we have heading to Nowra,” Smith said. “Here Comes Hogan is first-up from a spell and he’s had a couple of trials to prepare. He’s shown his share of ability in his 10 starts, and he’s ready to run well fresh.”
Millie De Lune is also resuming from a spell. Despite being unplaced from four starts, she has shown potential.
“She’s also had a couple of trials in readiness for her return to racing and she’s been pleasing us,” Smith said.
Rare Moon heads into her event on the back of a last-start eighth at Taree, when she was a little below her best, while The Way Ahead has had only one start, in which she ran third at Newcastle when well in the market.
Placid Pearl has had one run back from a spell at Goulburn at the end of February. She finished fourth in that event.
“She won for the first time over 2200m at Scone last October and we tested in the VRC Oaks, and she wasn’t disgraced behind Treasurethe Moment,” Smith said. “That sort of form looks good for this race on Sunday.”
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
