Racing
Short break has Smiffy primed for Elwick win
Brighton-based trainer John Luttrell expects his recent stable arrival Smiffy to bounce back into the winner’s circle in a class one handicap (race seven) at the Mother’s Day meeting at Elwick on Sunday.
Smiffy began her career with Mark Everett but after three inglorious efforts the three-year-old filly was transferred to John Luttrell.
Her first two runs for the new stable were far from impressive but at her next try the filly showed a new lease of life to score impressively in a small field of maidens over 1200 metres.
"I was very confident about her winning that maiden because her work had improved enormously and she was backed accordingly ($6 into $3.70)," Luttrell said.
"She ran really well at her next start for a close second but then I backed her up a week later for that $50,000 3YO race in Launceston and while she finished a good third it took a bit out of her so I sent her to Richmond Stables for a fortnight and it's really freshened her up.
"Her work this week has been spot-on and she's drawn a nice gate, so I expect here to be very hard to beat."
Luttrell also expects a forward showing from talented mare Just a Needs that finds herself in a very winnable 1600-metre open handicap (race eight).
Just a Needs was with the Imogen Miller stable at Seven Mile Beach but when she set about reducing numbers a couple of months back the mare's owners had no hesitation in sending the mare to Luttrell.
"I was very happy with her first start for me two weeks ago in a benchmark 78 over 1200m which wasn't ideal for her, but she steps up to 1600m on Sunday and while it's an open handicap she has no weight and she has a good record over the trip, especially in Hobart."
The Siggy Carr stable looks set to deliver at least one winner on the nine-race program and that should be with Obviously Good that impressed at his Tasmanian debut in Hobart two weeks ago with a fast-finishing second to stablemate Night People that also is engaged at the meeting in race seven.
Obviously Good rattled home late to go down by just under a half-length in a class two handicap but he drops back a grade on Sunday and gets the same trip.
"I am really happy with how Obviously Good has come on since that first run for the stable," Carr said.
"He drops back to a class one on Sunday and is likely to get a softish track if we get the rain that's forecast and his record says he goes best on rain-affected tracks."
Night People will contest the Thank You Colin Class 4 Handicap over 1200m and while Carr is happy with the four-year-old's condition going into the race she believes the gelding might be dourer second-up.
"He will go to a more suitable 1400m class four in a fortnight and then I'll tip him out and head him towards next season's Devonport Cup (1880m)."
Night People appreciates the sting out of the ground, but Carr said her five-year-old mare Periwinkle, that also is engaged in the race, prefers firmer going.
"Periwinkle loves to jump and run and would be a threat if the track is on the better side of soft but we won't know that until race time."
It's an early start on Sunday with the first race scheduled to start at 11.29am and the last of nine to go at 4.20pm.
Race six has been named the Thank You Colin Class 4 Handicap in honour of race caller Colin McNiff who was made redundant last week in what was a huge shock to all and sundry.
Owners can collect their race day owners' wrist bands at the main gate or in the Conquering Bar on the ground floor of the main grandstand.
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