Trainer Matthew Smith says heโd love to get some continuity into Placid Pearlโs preparation as he has the mare pegged as a stayer of promise.
When the four-year-old runs in the TAB Handicap (2200m) at Warwick Farm today itโll be a month since her eye-catching third-up performance that had Smith thinking sheโs ready to win.
Trainer Matthew Smith.Credit: Getty Images
The gap between runs is due to Placid Pearl having a high muscle enzyme reading that forced her to be scratched from a race at Wyong last week, where she was favourite, but Smith said thatโs not a concern.
โSheโs a nice mare, sheโll make a decent staying mare,โ he said. โWe just need to get a sequence of races together where she runs every couple of weeks without a hiccup.
โSheโs fit, sheโs well, weโll see what happens. If she gets a bit of luck in running she wonโt be too far off. Her work has been good, and the trip wonโt be a problem.โ
Placid Pearl has stablemate Mediaro for company in the staying event and Smith said the latter needs to prove himself at a trip.
He ran fourth in a seven-horse field behind Bestower over 2400m two weeks ago after two wins out of town at 2100m.
โHe didnโt relax,โ Smith said. โThey went a good gallop, and it found him out. Iโm not sure if we should come back to 2000m. His work his good, heโs sound and fit so weโll learn a bit more about him and if he doesnโt run the 2200m weโll be back to 2000m pretty quick.โ
Thereโs no doubt from Smith that lightly raced gelding Lunar Lover has come back in good order but he has one concern going into the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1600m).
