4 hours ago
7
Craig Kerry
May 14, 2026 — 5:00pm
Warwick Farm trainer Matt Smith hopes the long Scone straight can help Golden Straand stretch his winning preparation into stakes grade on Saturday and open the door to bigger targets.
The Gerry Harvey-owned four-year-old is set to contest the listed Ortensia Stakes (1100m) after wins in benchmark 78 grade over the same distance in Warwick Farm then on the Hawkesbury standalone program two weeks ago. They took the son of Snitzel’s record to five victories in 10 starts, and four from his past five.
Smith believed Golden Straand, passed in at Harvey’s Magic Millions yearling sale in 2023, was primed for 1200m, but he settled for the 1100m Ortensia over the 1300m Luskin Star Stakes at Scone.
“I’d probably be happier if it was 1200, but it’s not, so I’ve got to be happy with what is served up to us I guess,” Smith said.
“But that track has a big, long straight, so I just thought the 1100 will be like a 1200 and the 1300 will be like a 1400, if they run a bit of tempo.
“I’m really happy with him. Gerry wanted to have a crack at a stakes race, so we thought we’d have a crack at this.
“He could go to Brisbane for a run after this, but I think it’s just race by race for him, in terms of where he steps up. If he steps up again and wins that, then you probably have a crack at something better. If he gets beat, you probably go back to something a bit easier.
“But he’s definitely smart and he’s a nice horse, so I guess we’ll know a bit more about him after Saturday.”
Smith was counting on a dry track for Golden Straand, which was a $4.60 favourite despite drawing gate 19. He is four from five on good tracks and delivering on his promise after early setbacks. Jay Ford taking the reins from Nash Rawiller, who is riding at Doomben.
“He’s a big, strong, colty type of horse and he had a stress fracture as a young horse,” Smith said.
“He had to have three or four months off, came back, got shin sore and had to come back again, so he’s just taken a bit of time.
“Hopefully, he stays sound and we can knock over a good race. We always thought he’d be a 1200-1400 metre horse, but he’s proven to be a lot sharper.
“I’ve just kept him fresh, just given him a nice, easy time. If it was 1200 I’d be really confident, but 1100, he is probably a little bit vulnerable.”
Meanwhile, Smith said Portland was “ready to win” after finishing sixth in a messy running of the Gosford Cup last Saturday. He will head to the Doomben Cup next week or the Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill a week later.
“He wants a wet track and when you see him on that, I think he will improve out of sight,” he said.
