Smart win needed to keep It’s Academic’s Guineas dream alive
CANBERRA trainer Todd Smart is considering embarking on a Hawkesbury Guineas campaign with maiden galloper It’s Academic which will be aiming to break through for its first victory over the Easter long weekend.
The three-year-old gelding is an acceptance at both Nowra (Sunday) and Canterbury (Monday), with Smart still assessing where to place the son of Strategic Manoeuvre.
However, Smart has in the back of his mind that if he were to target the Guineas, It’s Academic would need some city form next to his name.
“The owner is from Hawkesbury and he has always dreamed of having a Hawkesbury Guineas horse so that will impact the decision and may mean we head to Canterbury,” Smart told Horse Betting.
“If he were able to knock off a Canterbury Maiden win that would probably be enough to sneak him into the field.
“I think he would win at Nowra [on Sunday], but if we were going to the Guineas he would have to win a city race like at Canterbury to even think about it.”
Smart said track conditions will also play a part in the decision, with It’s Academic needing a drier track to be at his best.
“He is knocking on the door.
“He is a horse which puts himself on the speed so Canterbury would probably suit, but the opposition is tougher, whereas Nowra is a track where when its wet its really wet and he probably needs it a bit drier.
“Canterbury is obviously going to be tougher, but it will pretty much come down to the track conditions on [Sunday] morning [at Nowra].
“He is a winning chance at Nowra and probably a top four chance at Canterbury, but we are just going to wait and weigh up what’s best for the horse.
“The horse is going really well and I think he will be competitive wherever he goes.”
Smart will also be aiming for a successful day out at Corowa on Tuesday, with two runners engaged, his best chance looking to be Penny Shares in race three, the Class Three handicap over six furlongs.
He also has Cyclone Maci engaged in a maiden event over the same distance.
“Penny Shares is a horse which came up from Melbourne and I think we will see the best of her after one more run,” he said.
“She will be hard to beat on Tuesday, even though it is a hard race, and whatever she does on that day I think she will improve on.
“Cyclone Maci is a work in progress – she is a rising four-year-old but she is still immature. She has got a lot of ability and she is close to winning, but we probably won’t see the best of her until next preparation.”
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