English tried horse sales don’t just spawn Melbourne Cup dreams, they can also provide the setting for the start of productive relationships.
Caulfield trainer Robert Smerdon met David Redvers, the racing manager for Qatari Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, in England and the friendship began at the right time for both parties.
Redvers has travelled to Australia consistently in recent years to buy yearlings and broodmares to establish a local racing and breeding operation on behalf of Sheikh Fahad.
“It was purely because of that meeting that I got horses with them,” Smerdon said.
Smerdon trains three horses on behalf of the Qatar Bloodstock organisation, including Crafty, the winner of Wednesday’s Polytrack Plate (1200m) at Sandown.
The Aquanita Racing horseman prepared Cautious to win a similar race at Sandown last Wednesday but Smerdon said the favoured runners Puzzle and Fairy Star looked too strong for Crafty on paper.
But Crafty ($8) dashed clear after racing on the speed for jockey Nick Hall to beat the $2.40 favourite Puzzle by three lengths while Fairy Star ($2.80) failed to beat a runner home after setting the early speed.
Smerdon hoped the twin successes would lead to an increased number of Qatar Bloodstock horses next season.
“They haven’t done the allocation yet so I’m hoping,” Smerdon said.
“They have four individual winners and we have produced three of them.”
Smerdon said Crafty would continue to work through the grades in her winter preparation but would be a better filly over more ground as an autumn three-year-old.
Meanwhile, Flemington trainer Mike Moroney will also give Yesterday’s Songs a chance in tougher company after the three-year-old blitzed his opposition in the Betty McDowell Elsternwick Plate (1300m).
A succession of minor problems meant the $35,000 contest was only Yesterday’s Songs’ second start but the $2.20 favourite sprinted brilliantly from midfield with jockey Michael Rodd in the saddle to score by 5-1/2 lengths.
“He’s a horse that has battled shin soreness and he has been quite a slow maturer,” Moroney said.
“We’ll keep him going while he’s still going all right.”