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A pair of progressive fillies with staying potential has trainer Matthew Smith looking to use Kembla Grange as a gateway to bigger things this Saturday.
Matthew Smith has the lightly-raced Blue Jager and potentially her stablemate Atonement travelling south from his Warwick Farm base with both horses winning chances in their respective races.
Smith believes the latter of the two can be a factor in the Queensland Oaks later this year but was also weighing up running her in Saturday's Listed Bisley Workwear South Pacific Stakes on Day 2 of The Championships at Randwick.
He was leaning towards giving Atonement an easier first-up assignment in the Grant Watts 60th Class 1 Handicap (1500m) at Kembla.
The daughter of Dundeel is coming off a last start Group 3 placing in the Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Boxing Day that encouraged Smith to follow an Oaks path with the filly this preparation.
"She has always given us the indication she is a nice stayer," Smith said.
"I thought she was really good that last race in Brisbane and that's when we thought we might have to press on to the Oaks with her next preparation.
"She has always been a nice filly and she's been good to handle so I am looking forward to this weekend."
Blue Jager is having just her second career start in the opening event, the Autumn Racing F&M Maiden Plate (1500m). The promising daughter of Not A Single Doubt ran a credible second at her maiden start at Canberra and will step up a further 100m in trip this weekend.
"She is a nice filly," Smith said. "I was very happy with her first-up run. She looks like she will get up over ground and it appears to be a step in the right direction.
"I expect she will be very competitive on Saturday but she is still learning what it is all about. She has only had the one start and was green in her trials so she still has plenty to learn.
"Horses can look like they know what they are doing but she hasn't had much racing yet." Jockey Ashley Morgan will ride both fillies if their respective events.
Smith also had Latino Beauty accepted in the Sean Stonestreet Conditional Benchmark 68 Handicap (1400m) but the filly is likely to come out of the race after drawing the outside in barrier 14.