Tuvalu is set to fly out to Brisbane on Tuesday with Lindsey Smith out to spoil the party in Saturday’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
The last-start Wangoom winner will be ridden by Tyler Schiller in the $1 million weight-for-age contest where he will tackle the likes of I Wish I Win and Magic Time.
Smith and connections had contemplated transferring the G1 winner into the care of local trainer Chris Munce due to staffing constraints, but former stable foreman Bonnie Kingsley has since been entrusted to travel with the horse.
“He has got nowhere else really to go and he’s been in good order since the Wangoom,” Smith said.
“He maybe isn’t top shelf, but he is in that league where there is nowhere to hide.
“He had a couple of gallops on the course proper going the other way and he handled that well.
“At least if nothing else, he can have a holiday under the sun and come back for a Memsie or something like that.
“We’ve kept him a little bit fresh for the 1300 metres and he’s ready to go.”
Smith said Tuvalu would have to warrant a start in the Stradbroke Handicap with a forward showing on Saturday.
With up to 15mm of rainfall predicted on Saturday alone, his Warrnambool trainer said any rain would be welcomed by his Toorak Handicap winner.
Tuvalu is a $16 chance for the Kingsford Smith Cup.
– racing.com
