Lindsey Smith is off to flyer with three winners in a week from his new stable in Warrnambool.
Kiwi import Our Wind Spirit and Seven Castles completed a double at Ballarat last Tuesday and Reykjavik lifted to a Listed victory in the Winter Championship Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Our Wind Spirit (Per Incanto) was having his first start in Australia since a debut third at Te Aroha in April and Seven Castles (Foxwedge) has started his career with a Belmont placing last August.
“He’s got a massive stride so I was happy to sit wide,” jockey Dean Yendall explained after unsaddling Seven Castles. “I’ve been riding him work and he can develop into a handy horse for Lindsey.”
Smith paid $75,000 for Seven Castles at the 2017 Inglis Classic Sale for a syndicate managed by Perth owner Chris Wells. He races in the same colours as their G1 Railway Stakes winner Scales Of Justice.
Reykjavik (Artie Schiller) will continue his current campaign racing between Melbourne and Perth. “I’m a winner so I will keep him going,” Smith said on Sunday. “I need winners in Melbourne so he will have another run here before the Belmont Newmarket back home next month.
“He will then have a rest and get ready for the Railway Stakes depending on how strong that race takes shape.”
Reykjavik is a homebred for James Ch’ng and Balmoral Park owner Neil Irvine. He had opened his black-type account in the LR Hannans Hcp in Kalgoorlie last year and was always travelling well at Flemington.
“It was nice to get a winner, let alone two, at Ballarat,” stable manager Maddie Raymond said at Flemington. “Getting a stakes winner here proves the system is working and we’re confident of making an impact.”
Winning jockey Linda Meech was pleased to claim her third Winter Championship Final on Reykjavik. “He’s been running some good races and that was a terrific win. I was surprised how good a turn of foot he had at the end of a mile and he sustained it right to the line.”
Reykjavik (pictured) is from Gibraltar Storm (Rock Of Gibraltar) and she has an unraced 2yo filly named Tycoon Storm (Written Tycoon) with Trevor Andrews and weanling colt by Artie Schiller.
Smith also has Group 1 star Black Heart Bart on the comeback trail. He was previously trained by Darren Weir and initially bowed out after finishing 16th in the 2018 Toorak Hcp at Caulfield. The rising 9yo passed a vet test at Ballarat last week and will have a couple more gallops before trialling.