Broadmeadow trainer Darren Smith has lost one black type contender for Sydney’s Randwick meeting on Saturday but will still be represented in the day’s feature race by former Group 1 hero Atomic Force.
Atomic Force will have to be at their best to be competitive in Saturday's Missile Stakes. Photo: Taron Clarke.
Smith was to be dually represented in the two stakes features in the first Group meeting of the 2013-14 season in Sydney this weekend but is down to just one major contender.
He was forced to scratch his progressive filly Dream Forward from the $100,000 Listed The Rosebud (1200m), running as Race 6 at 3:30pm (AEST), after she suffered a minor injury during a float accident.
A daughter of Charge Forward the three-year-old was being transported back to her Newcastle stable when she reared up in the float and cut her nose.
While it wasn’t anything major the abrasion was enough to rule her out of The Rosebud.
“It is nothing major, but she can’t run on Saturday,” Smith told The Herald Sun.
The Rosebud is a lead-up race for horses heading towards the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival’s $1 million Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on September 14.
Dream Forward was to have started a decent chance in the race too having won her last start at Canterbury on a Slow track over 1200m back on July 24.
Still in that race are some progressive three-year-olds eyeing off the majors including the Golden Rose and the $1 million Group 1 The BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in Melbourne on October 12.
Among the top fancies are the undefeated James & Bart Cummings-trained Eurozone, and the Gai Waterhouse-trained duo of Bull Point and Northern Glory.
Randwick racing on Saturday meanwhile is headlined by the $125,000 Group 3 McGrath Real Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at 2:50pm (AEST).
There are eight in the mix including Smith’s 2011 The Galaxy winner Atomic Force.
The now eight-year-old Danehill Dancer gelding also enjoyed another Group 1 triumph in New Zealand that year taking out the Railway Stakes but hasn’t won a race since.
They were last seen finishing eighth in a 1100m Benchmark 95 handicap at Rosehill on July 20, won by Zaratone, and as such are a $21 outside in Missile Stakes betting.
The race looks to be dominated by the single-figure trio of odds-on favourite Rain Affair, rejuvenated veteran Mic Mac and the resuming Hay List.
Smith knows that Atomic Force is probably a little out of their league but is still keen to give them a start as an indication of where they might go for the likely swansong season on the track.
“He is ticking over well, but he has to show his old zest taking on speedsters like this,” Smith said.
