Matthew Smith’s Idle could be stakes Flyer

Trainer Matthew Smith is keeping his approach measured with three-year-old filly Idle Flyer, who is set to start as the odds-on favourite in the Precise Air Benchmark 68 (1400m) at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.

Following a victory in a Benchmark 64 over 1250m at Randwick Kensington, the Dundeel filly will take on a longer distance and tougher competition against a small field of three rivals, as Smith continues to assess her potential.

“I’ve been happy with her,” Smith said. “She’s shaping up like she might be able to compete in some better races than this, but we’ll just have to see how she goes tomorrow.”

Idle Flyer, out of Street Cry mare Progressive, has a pedigree suggesting she will handle longer trips, something Smith expects to explore in this campaign.

“She’s always looked like a mile would suit her, and we’ll try this preparation for sure,” he said. “I don’t know what will happen after this race, because she’s eligible for that Inglis race down in Melbourne, so down the straight. We’ll just have to have a bit of a think about it after tomorrow.

“We’ll go up to a mile and see how she handles that, and then I’m not sure if she’ll go further. A mile won’t be a problem, and beyond that, you never really know until you try.”

“I’d like to get her in a couple of stakes races, those three-year-old fillies’ races, so she’s on the way, anyway.”

Idle Flyer impressed with a strong finish from the back to win her last start in a field of eight. However, with just four runners on Wednesday and drawn the widest gate, she faces a different kind of challenge. Zac Lloyd will retain the ride, and Smith is confident she can adapt to any tempo.

“She’s got a good turn of foot, she showed that last start at Randwick. They didn’t go that quick and she was able to run them down,” Smith said.

“1400 metres won’t be a problem for her, I think she should be hard to beat tomorrow.”

“There are a couple of other horses in there that go pretty good, so I don’t know, but everyone’s sort of looking to find out about where they’re up to. That’ll be a bit of a race to see how they’re travelling.”

Idle Flyer is currently the $1.85 favourite with betting apps for Wednesday’s opener and is also listed in the betting markets for the Australian Oaks at long odds of $101.