Having settled in at her temporary accommodations in Newmarket, top South African galloper Smart Call (SAf) (Ideal World) is soon to get down to more serious work and has the Oct. 1 G1 Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S. as a potential target ahead of a tilt in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. The 5-year-old, owned and bred by Mauritzfontein Stud, earned her way into America's year-end event courtesy of a victory in the G1 Paddock S. this past January. She is unraced since her impressive defeat of the boys in the prestigious G1 J & B Met at Kenilworth Jan. 30.
“Smart Call has been in Newmarket for around a month now and is doing quits Hill), sire e well,” said trainer Alec Laird. “I will find out more when I'm am over there again in a week's time when she will be doing a couple of gallops. It will be a big adventure for us but she has nothing more to prove in South Africa and if we didn't try we would never find out just how good she is.”
Laird believes Smart Call, a paternal grandson of the great Banks Hill (GB) (Danehill), is as good as London News (SAf), who was third to Bosra Sham in the 1997 G1 Prince of Wales's S.
“It's quite exciting as she will be my first true runner in Europe–London News was officially trained by Barry Hills,” explained Laird. “I couldn't ask to travel with a nicer horse as she has a very good nature and seems to have taken all the various flights in her stride. It's extremely exciting just to be on the world stage and it's a real thrill for her to be in Newmarket–the home of horse racing.”
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