In-form Canberra trainer Todd Smart will look to add a Mollymook Cup to the mantlepiece on Sunday, with Big Impact set to go around in the 1200m feature race at Nowra.
The five-year-old is only lightly raced, starting seven times for two wins, and was previously under the care of Tony Gollan in Queensland.
Since arriving in Canberra, the Real Impact mare has started three times.
She debuted in a Class One Handicap (1000m) at Gundagai and finished a handy fourth on a heavy nine in early August before winning a Country Boosted
Class One handicap (1100m) at Nowra in late August.
Last time out, she was down the track at Canberra, but Smart expects a much better showing in the Mollymook Cup.
“She won down there two starts back, and it’s not the strongest race, so I give her a winning chance,” Smart said.
“At her last start in Canberra, I probably backed her up a bit too quick, and I’ve worked out that she takes a while to get over her runs, so we’ve spaced it out a bit.
“Hopefully, she gets back to that winning form, and if she goes as good as she is working, she’ll be hard to beat.”
Kayla Nisbet will stay on board, and Smart didn’t envision pushing forward again.
“She’s got no weight (55.5kg0), and Kayla is riding really well,’ Smart said.
“She will be ridden where she is comfortable; we won’t be pushing forward like last time, which should suit her.”
Up-and-coming star and stablemate Love Shuck was entered for the same race, but Smart has elected to run the three-year-old in the Class Two Handicap (1200m) at Wagga on Saturday.
While disappointed to miss out on a slot in Saturday’s $2 million The Kosciuszko at Royal Randwick, Smart said he needed to start the Mikki Isle gelding somewhere.
Love Shuck did win the $200,000 Listed Inglis 2YO Challenge at Scone in May, and while 19 weeks between runs, he has trialled nicely at Goulburn in recent weeks.
In September, he finished second to Bandi’s Boy over 800m, and earlier this month, the green but talented youngster demonstrated his big motor when running third, beaten less than a length by Mogo Magic and Front Page, which are both major players in Saturday’s The Kosciuszko.
“We thought about going to the Mollymook Cup, but barrier one wasn’t ideal, and I just think barrier five is better, and the Wagga track is better for him,” Smart said.
“We have to start somewhere, and the plan is to be in the first four, and if he runs up to his trials, he’ll be hard to beat.”
It’s set to be a massive weekend of country racing in NSW, with Wagga, Forbes, Inverell, and Wauchope hosting meetings on Saturday before big programs at Nowra and Orange on Sunday.
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Written by: Jeff Hanson
Smart out to make Big Impact in Mollymook Cup – NSW Country and Picnic Racing