Brave Smash (rail finishing second to Vega Magic (Image: Racing Photos)
Vega Magic all but clinched a berth in The Everest berth with his crushing Memsie Stakes win last Saturday and now the horse who he defeated first-up will lay his own Everest credentials bare
at Moonee Valley this Saturday.
The former Japanese horse Brave Smash has only been entered for a 1200-metre Listed race at Moonee Valley but his part-owner Jamie Lovett of Australian Bloodstock said he expected a slot holder would come after the horse if he raced to his true ability this weekend.
"We have had quite a bit of interest and if he runs well and win on Saturday, I feel quite confident that it will nearly get us over the line," Lovett said on Monday.
"At this stage we are positioning ourselves that if we get a slot that is the race that we'd like to run in. But obviously everyone is playing ducks and drakes with their slots so we've just got to make sure that the horse runs well.
"We'd want to be locking in a slot next week because if we're not going on an Everest path, we don't want to muck up the whole spring," he added of Brave Smash, who carries nominations for the Epsom Handicap (1600m) and Cox Plate (2040m).
"We need to make a decision, so it will be the fork in the road. So, if someone wants him, we'll negotiate a slot."
Brave Smash is as short as $15 in some Everest markets despite not being tested at the top level yet in this country.
Lovett said consideration was given to properly displaying the horse's ability in last Saturday's Group 1 Memsie Stakes.
"The reason we didn't run in the Memsie was that Weiry (trainer Darren Weir) didn't want a gut-buster over seven furlongs for the horse. He said he wanted to keep the speed in his legs and that he hadn't screwed him right down for it.
"He's nowhere near wound right up and Darren did make that comment. It's only his second run and Darren's horses usually profile better third, fourth and fifth run in.
"But just ability-wise, we'd be very disappointed if he didn't run well and if he's not winning then he may not be worthy of a slot so we're laying out cards on the table."
If Brave Smash can seal an Everest slot, Australian Bloodstock could have runners in most of the spring's feature events.
The syndicate has prime Cup and Cox Plate hopefuls in Tosen Stardom, Big Duke, Articus and Raw Impulse as well as horses yet to arrive in this country.
Admire Deus is to soon go into quarantine in Japan for his trip out to Melbourne for the Cups while in France, their galloper Red Cardinal is also being readied for quarantine and he is expected to arrive in Melbourne in four weeks along with new stablemates Sixties Groove (a Geelong Cup hopeful) and a potential Stakes galloper in Garcia.