Trainer Robert Smerdon has revealed that he believes jockey Ryan Moore may be key to the chances of Shamal Wind in the 2015 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday morning.
Shamal Wind earned a trip to England for the King’s Stand Stakes when she took out the 2015 edition of the Oakleigh Plate. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett
Shamal Wind has one of the most explosive sprints in Australia and her impressive acceleration was on display when she flashed home late to win the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on February 28, but Smerdon believes that her exciting racing pattern can be a curse.
Smerdon said that jockeys need to time their run exactly to win on Shamal Wind and he is hopeful that Moore is the right jockey to get a positive result out of the Dubawi mare in the King’s Stand Stakes next week.
“She is a little bit difficult in that she is a run-on sprinter and it takes a fair bit of expertise from the jockey to get it right because as well as that she has an explosive burst, but it is a short burst and you have to time it exactly right,” Smerdon said.
“She has run up to win a number of races only to be narrowly beaten and she is a tricky drive, but we have the services of Ryan Moore which should stand us in good stead.”
Shamal Wind will be having her sixth start at Group 1 level King’s Stand Stakes and Smerdon admits that the five-year-old is below the level of Diamond Jubilee Stakes favourite Brazen Beau as well as the likes of Chautauqua, Terravista and Lankan Rupee.
However, Smerdon still believes that Shamal Wind may be good enough to win the King’s Stand Stakes and he is confident that her fantastic fresh record as well as the 1006 metres of the Group 1 event are both heavily in her favor.
“If you look at that Newmarket with Brazen Beau and Lankan Rupee, she would be below those horses and they would be the very best for my mind,” Smerdon said.
“On the positive side she has great fresh form, she has great 1000 metre form and she has only been beaten once first-up in her career when she was unlucky.
“Looking at the track it looks like it is going to support a horse that is running on like her.”
Shamal Wind is currently available at 2015 King’s Stand Stakes odds of $7 with Ladbrokes and she is on the fourth line of betting behind Muthmir ($5), Sole Power ($5) and unlikely starter Brazen Beau ($5).
