'Should be hard to beat': Taking Kelvedon Road to the Canberra Guineas

A $17,000 ready to run horse still learning the trade, still a good six months off putting it all together. But come Monday he finds himself in with a genuine shot at the 1400m Canberra Guineas at Thoroughbred Park.

The Todd Smart-trained gelding was a dominant two length victor in the Canberra Guineas Preview but Smart says the city's premier three-year-old race looms as a major step up in class.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott's Silent Impact is listed as the bookmaker's favourite, but the cheers of owners making their way to Canberra from Gundagai suggest Kelvedon Road will be among the best supported.

Smart races for people like that. They'd been kept away for what felt like an eternity during the pandemic. It made every win feel just a little hollow. Now Kelvedon Road gives them a chance to feel that elation again.

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"You couldn't celebrate really. You'd go home and watch a few replays and have a few drinks at home," Smart said.

"I haven't had a runner in the Guineas before and these owners are so excited for the day. Win, lose or draw, they're going to have a good day.

"The horse is obviously still young and still a little bit mentally immature but I think he's a big chance, regardless of what the field is. I think he's on the way up and I still think he's six months off putting it all together. If he runs like he did the other day in the preview, well, he should be hard to beat.

"I'm very excited. All my owners are very excited. This horse is a ready to run horse, we bought him for $17,000 ready to run, so he's been a bit of a bargain buy so far.

"He's a horse that is still learning the caper but he won the preview the other day and won well. It's a listed race, this next one, I think it's going to be a lot harder.

"It's a bit of an anxious wait for me because I know my horse is going super but it's a bit of a step up in grade for Kelvedon Road."

Kelvedon Road is a three-time winner from seven starts and he could spend the winter racing in Queensland should that upward trend continue in front of what officials hope will be a strong Canberra crowd on Monday.

Scores of punters filtered through the turnstiles for Black Opal Stakes day on Sunday as the Canberra racing scene took a major leap towards normality.

Monday marks day two of the city's premier racing carnival, with the 2000m Canberra Cup the feature race of the day.

Smart is relishing the chance to have owners and supporters back at the track in droves after the Thoroughbred Park stands turned into something of a ghost town for the best part of two years.

"It's unreal. You're kept away from everyone. You race horses because of the owners, the owners make it all happen," Smart said.

"With the owners kept away, it made it very hard. Everyone is pretty excited for the carnival, it's going to be a massive carnival. I think it's going to be the biggest carnival yet, just because of the past 12 months to two years.

"One thing it does change is you can't interact with the owners and things. It's just good to have the owners back supporting the stable because it's vital. You've got to have those sorts of people supporting the horses and supporting the carnival to make it happen."

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