Friday, 4 May 2012:
Noel Mayfield-Smith prepared the first winner at a Hawkesbury stand-alone Saturday meeting and now hopes to land one of the feature races on the provincial club's showpiece day.
Mayfield-Smith will saddle-up lightly-raced
Famous Seamus in Saturday's $150,000 Listed Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) and says he'll be disappointed if the gelding isn't right in the mix.
"I respect the opposition but I'm quietly confident that he'll be right there at the finish," Mayfield-Smith said.
Mayfield-Smith trains out of Hawkesbury and prepared Real Strike to win the opening race at the track's inaugural metropolitan Saturday meeting in 2006.
The meeting has become a regular fixture on the NSW racing calendar at the completion of Sydney's autumn carnival and features three stakes races - the Hawkesbury Guineas, Rowley Mile and Darley Crown.
Mayfield-Smith has always had a high opinion of
Famous Seamus.
And having had a lean run in recent years, he believes the three-year-old is the most promising horse he's trained in close to a decade since preparing In Top Swing to win the 2003 Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas.
Famous Seamus won his first three starts last year including races at Canterbury and Warwick Farm before he was sent for a spell.
So far this time in, the son of Elusive City beat just one runner home in the Listed Darby Munro Stakes first-up before a third in a $50,000 Class Four at Gosford last time out.
Mayfield-Smith said the gelding had some excuses in his past two starts and had improved fitness-wise to be ready for Saturday's contest.
"His runs have been good and my opinion of him hasn't altered. If anything it's probably got better," Mayfield-Smith said.
"These races with good prizemoney are always hard and have horses with good ability in them, and tomorrow's race is no exception.
"The horse of Gai Waterhouse's (Landing) has won four from four and goes extremely well.
"I go in with the confidence of knowing the improvement my horse has made and that he's a good horse."
Famous Seamus will be ridden by Robyn Freeman-Key who has partnered the gelding in all of his race.
He was a $21 chance with TAB Sportsbet on Friday while the well-supported Landing firmed from $1.75 to $1.70.
Landing is also an early favourite for the Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in Brisbane next month.
The son of More Than Ready made the step up to stakes company last start when he maintained his unbeaten record with an impressive performance in the Listed South Pacific Classic at Randwick.
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