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Wet track boosts Kelly's Ipswich confidence

27 October 2020

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By Glenn Davis

A wet track and a claim for apprentice Justin Huxtable has boosted trainer Les Kelly’s hopes for an overdue win from Smart As Attack at Ipswich on Wednesday.

Smart As Attack will carry 56kgs with Huxtable’s 1.5kg claim in the 1350-metre Class Four Handicap.

The six-year-old hasn’t won since May last year when successful over 1400 metres at the Gold Coast and has been placed once in three starts this current campaign.

The gelding finished second to Divine Decadence in a Benchmark race over 1400 metres on the Gold Coast on October 3 before a last start fourth in a similar race on his home track two weeks later.

“He’s a good chance but I think the topweight - Fasano - will be hard to beat if it starts,” Kelly said.

“My bloke will appreciate the sting out of the ground and the forecast is for more rain ahead.

“I don’t want to see a bog track but he seems to run his best races with a light weight and he doesn’t appear to be as good on a dry track than he is on a soft track.”

I don’t want to see a bog track but he seems to run his best races with a light weight and he doesn’t appear to be as good on a dry track than he is on a soft track

Les Kelly

Kelly was runner up to Toby and Trent Edmonds in the Gold Coast trainers’ premiership last season after claiming the title the previous two seasons.

He has one other runner at Ipswich – Dynamic Thinker - who resumes in the Class Two Handicap (1200m).

Dynamic Thinker will be ridden by apprentice Adin Thompson reducing the four-year-old’s weight to 57.5kgs.

The well-bred son of former champion So You Think has not raced since finishing last to the Barry Lockwood-trained Erringhi Spring in a 1300-metre Class Four at the Gold Coast in June.

Dynamic Thinker had good form with a win and two placings from his three starts previous, including an Ipswich victory in mid-May.

“He’s bred to run over ground but he’s trialled twice and he’ll run well,” Kelly said.

“He’ll get back but I’m expecting him to get home well late as they'll probably be too nippy for him first-up.”

Dynamic Thinker is a half-brother to Go The Knuckle who won four times in 27 starts, including the Group 2 Euclase (1200m) at Morphettville in 2012.