Buenos Noches on the way to the barrier before the Champions' Sprint
For a brief moment at the 100 metres Matthew Smith thought his sprinter Buenos Noches was going to be a giant slayer when he threatened champion sprinter Imperatriz with 100 metres to go.
“I kept thinking she had had a bit of an easy time in front and in the last 100 metres I thought he might pick her up, but Imperatriz is a great mare. She’s at her peak and she makes her own luck,” Smith said.
He said it was a great effort by Buenos Noches to finish second after he had suffered a setback when he was a late scratching at the barriers in the Manikato Stakes.
“We drew wide and we were back further than we wanted to be but from a good draw we might have given it a shake,” he said.
“He won first-up then he had no luck at his next two runs.”
Smith said Buenos Noches would have a spell and then be back for the Black Caviar Lightning and the Newmarket Handicap again.
The win continued a successful week for the Warwick Farm trainer, who also has a satellite stable at Pakenham, as True Marvel finished eighth in the Melbourne Cup and Aethelflaed finished second in the VRC Oaks.
“It’s been a great week and as good a week as you could have without winning a race. True Marvel ran out of his skin. The filly went from a maiden to a Group 1 in her first preparation,” Smith said.
“I couldn’t be happier with the horses and my team.”
WATCH: Imperatriz win the Champions Sprint