Matthew Smith is taking a familiar route as he targets The Everest (1200m) with his consistent sprinter Headwall, who proved his class in the Autumn.
The gelding turned heads with top-three finishes in the Newmarket Handicap and TJ Smith Stakes, before just falling short in The Quokka, confirming his credentials against the best in the country.
Though still chasing his first Group 1 win, Smith is convinced Headwall deserves a spot in The Everest and is building a campaign around achieving that goal.
“He’s fantastic,” Smith told RSN Radio.
“He had a nice little break and he looks outstanding. He’s just getting better and better every season.
“I think it’s credit to the owners really to be so patient with him and not rushing him early on.
“I can’t fault the way he looks compared to the last prep. He looks just as good and I’m looking forward to this preparation for sure.
“We’d really like to get a start in the Everest. That’s where we want to be. So it’ll be geared up around getting into that race.”
Headwall’s return is planned for the Group 3 Concorde Stakes at Randwick, a race Smith believes is the right springboard.
“Randwick, 1000 metres is a perfect kick off point and then we can work it out from there,” he said.
“There are plenty of lead-ups into The Everest but that’s where we’ll start.”
Smith feels that with a bit more racing maturity, Headwall is ready to strike at the top level.
“He’s been tricky in terms of he’s got two gears, stop and go,” Smith said.
“He’s always been that way and he is getting better, but jockeys do have to be careful because when you ask him to go improve, he kind of just wants to do it all at once a little bit.
“That’s been probably the issue with him holding a spot.
“A little bit of luck in any of those races, we might have knocked over one of those group ones.
“I just think he’s getting better and better and he’s starting to mature mentally.
“This preparation, we could see a better sprinter than last prep.”
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