Trainer Matt Smith admits to being a little surprised by the handicapper’s assessment of The Coast but he is keeping faith that Nimalee’s class can carry her through.

The Emancipation Stakes winner has top weight of 59kg, half a kilo more than 2020 Group 1 Doncaster Mile placegetter Brandenburg and seven kilos more than Nudge, who is expected to be one of her toughest opponents.

“I thought we might get in below Brandenburg but that’s the way it’s gone,” Smith said.

“It’s always a concern when you’re giving decent horses six and seven kilos. Everything has to go right for you to win with those weights.

“But it would be a nice race to round out the prep if we could knock it off.”

The $500,000 event is the centrepiece of Gosford’s stand-alone meeting and is being held for the first time on Saturday.

Smith said it was always on the radar as a possible target following the mare’s fruitful Sydney autumn carnival which yielded consecutive wins, highlighted by the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes.

She subsequently raced too keenly when a tiring ninth to Nettoyer in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes but Smith said she had recovered well and he expected her to bounce back to her best in The Coast (1600m), which will be her final campaign run.

The Warwick Farm trainer will also saddle-up Queensland Cup-bound stayer Sweet Thomas in the Gosford Gold Cup (2100m) and juvenile Cool Lad in the opening race.

Bred and raced by Smith’s wife Melissa and David Fairfull, Cool Lad was runner-up to Aslav at Hawkesbury on debut and the trainer predicts a bright future.

“He will be better when he gets over a bit further and the track probably won’t suit him but we want to keep going with him so he’ll have to run,” Smith said.

“He’s still a bit of a baby and probably a preparation away but he’s a really nice horse.”

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au