Smith zeroes in on Country Cups Challenge Final

By Glenn Davis

Roma trainer Craig Smith is in awe of Racing Queensland’s country race series and is hopeful of snaring another feature win next month with Art By Concorde.

Art By Concorde claimed the $200,000 Battle Of The Bush Final at Eagle Farm in June and is on track to give Smith a second feature victory in the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben on December 2.

But first, Art By Concorde needs to qualify by winning the Country Cups Challenge heat at Yeppoon on Saturday.

Art By Concorde is chasing his fifth win in succession and his third in his current campaign.

The five-year-old won first-up over 1000 metres at Emerald on October 3 before a dominant victory over 1200 metres at Mitchell on October 21.

“He’s in good order and is progressing well and he should be very competitive again,” Smith said.

“He’s creeping up in the weights now and is paying the price for his consistency.

“He’s only a little horse and this is a non-claiming race.

“Apprentice Liv O'Donnell will ride him again but she’s a heavyweight rider so he won’t carry too much dead weight and she’s ridden him to two wins.”

Smith is unlikely to give Art By Concorde another crack at qualifying for the Country Cups Challenge Final if he doesn’t measure up at Yeppoon.

“There’s another qualifying race in two weeks at Roma but I doubt he’d go for it,” Smith said.

“We’re having one throw at the stumps at Yeppoon to get into the Final at Doomben and if he doesn’t make it I might set him for the Country Cup on Magic Millions day.”

Smith considered tackling the other major country feature, the Country Stampede Final, which also will be run on the same day as the Country Cups Challenge Final.

“I thought about targeting the Country Stampede with him but they’d probably go too quick for him as he’s won up to 1600 metres,” he said.

Smith has been training for more than 30 years but unlike close friend, Eagle Farm trainer Barry Baldwin, who also hails from Roma, he decided to remain a country boy.

“I thought about doing what Barry did a long time ago to move to Brisbane but I’m a country boy at heart,” he said.

“I’ve also got a lot of property here and run a lot of cattle, which keeps me busy.”