Trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith admits that he was surprised by the weight Famous Seamus received for the 2014 The Galaxy, but is confident about the chances of his star sprinter in the Group 1 event this weekend.
Famous Seamus is chasing his maiden win at the highest level of racing in The Galaxy at Rosehill Gardens this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart
Famous Seamus will carry 56.5 kilograms in The Galaxy, the same weight as Black Caviar Lightning Stakes winner winner Snitzerland, despite the fact that he has failed to record a race win in eleven starts at Group level.
Mayfield-Smith told Racing Ahead this morning that he expected Racing New South Wales handicappers to be a little kinder on Famous Seamus, but still expects the son of Elusive City to perform well in The Galaxy this weekend.
“I am pretty confident with him,” Mayfield-Smith said.
“I am a little bit surprised by the weight that he got; he only won at Listed level and he is giving half a kilo to Group winners.
“I thought he would have got into this race with 55kg, but his work has been very good.
“He has done well and I am very happy with him.”
Famous Seamus raced consistently during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival, a campaign highlighted by his win in the Listed Lightning Handicap (1100m), and returned to the races with an impressive third place finish behind Villa Verde and Snitzerland in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) at Royal Randwick on March 15.
Mayfield-Smith admitted that he was surprised by the performance of the five-year-old, who normally struggles first-up, and put the strong effort down to the fact that he did not spend much time in the spelling paddock.
“He probably did in the fact that it has never been his greatest run and at weight-for-age over 1000 metres I thought that they would probably be a bit slick for him,” Mayfield-Smith said when asked if he was surprised by the effort of Famous Seamus.
“He had been going extremely well on the track.
“His first-up performance may have been better than usual because he did not have as long in the paddock and he had an extended campaign that went into December last year.
“He probably had a bit of fitness following that and he is a very gross, doing horse.”
Famous Seamus is set to contest the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 12 before heading to Brisbane for events like the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 and the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.
