THINGS did not exactly go as planned for Nick Smart in last year's Bendigo Cup.
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The Bendigo trainer saddled up the five-year-old Single Handed, who found the firm track not to his liking, and finished the 2400m Group 3 feature in 12th place in a field of 14.
The gelding has raced only once since in April, following a 23-week spell, when he finished at the rear of the field.
A candid Smart described last year's Cup foray as 'a bit of non-event'.
"Our bloke just didn't handle the surface last year. It was a little bit disappointing, but that's racing," he said.
Smart, who has just ticked past 14 months in Bendigo since his move from Ballarat, has certainly not been soured by the experience. Anything but.
He is back for another crack at the $400,000 Cup with his Coleraine Cup winner Silent Command.
The six-year-old gelding will start as the outsider of the field at 100-1 plus in early markets.
But neither will that dampen the enthusiasm of Smart, who is thrilled to have boosted the Bendigo representation in the Cup to two runners, alongside the Josh Julius-trained Super Girl.
While his wish was for a bit more rain, with the current track rating a soft 5, Smart is hopeful his former Listed Morphettville Guineas winner can run a bold race.
"We probably would have liked it a bit softer, but anyway, we can't do much about that now," he said.
"We would be hoping for a bit more rain before now and then.
"And we've drawn a long way out (barrier 17), so that doesn't help the cause."
Silent Command is easily at his best on soft to heavy ground, notching up a convincing win at Moonee Valley as recently as four starts ago on a heavy 9.
He followed last month's Coleraine Cup victory on a soft 6 with a midfield placing in the $130,000 Moe Cup (2050m) when he finished three-lengths behind the winner Our Big Mike.
Smart said he was not entirely unhappy with the effort, but did concede his Cup contender was a bit of a query at the 2400m distance.
"It was pretty good at Moe, he was perhaps just a touch off his best. He sort of looked a bit flat-footed at about the half-mile and actually lost a bit of ground," he said.
"Once he recovered, he came again and hit the line well, which has given us a bit hope to try and get the 2400m.
"I think the big track will help in that regard.
"He seems to just struggle around tight bends and seems to lose momentum a bit.
"But hopefully Bendigo being such a wide-open track, hopefully, that will negate that."
Smart will saddle up two runners on Cup day, with his other chance being an exciting newcomer to the stable.
The former Shay Keating-trained gelding Loe will contest the $100,000 heat of the Melbourne Cup Carnival Country Series (1400m), with Smart giving him some hope in an ultra-competitive race.
"He's first-up for a long time, which will be interesting," he said.
"He's a nice horse and he's going well and from barrier one he should get a fairly soft run and hopefully get a bit of luck late.
"He's only had nine runs but run quite a few placings (four) and won his maiden last preparation quite nicely.
"It would be nice to win his way through to that final on Oaks Day."
The heat, which is the final race on Wednesday's program, is loaded with Bendigo chances, with Loe joined in the field by the Bob Donat-trained Tatunka and the Josh Julius pair Highclass Harry and Just Folk.
Apprentice Lachlan Neindorf will ride Low, while Will Price takes the Cup mount on Silent Command.
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