Double-seeking Truckers Tavern heads strong Smith team
The 10-year-old was trained by Ferdy Murphy when seen capturing the £50,000 contest last Christmas.
Truckers Tavern moved across Yorkshire to join Smith for the current campaign and made his debut for the yard when third over hurdles at Bangor earlier this month.
“Truckers Tavern is in great form; we just need the ground to remain good and soft,” Smith said. “He went home for his summer holiday and then came to us in training.
“We kept going with him slowly until he ran the other day and he seems to have come out of his race very well. We’ll take it as it comes with him.
“He’s in the three-mile hurdle race as well so it all depends, but he’s a strong possibility for the Rowland Meyrick.
“I can’t say for certain because in another couple of days, if the temperature drops again, then we could be a bit snookered.”
The Bingley trainer intends to run St Matthew, a winner over the course in October.
“He’s in great form with himself. He’s had a little break since the Hennessy and he’s really doing well,” Smith added.
“He had a hard race the week before Newbury when winning the hurdle race at Haydock and, looking back, the Hennessy probably came a bit quick for him.”
Mister McGoldrick, a winner of six out of seven starts at Wetherby is also a possible, although he is more likely to bid for a second successive victory in the £50,000 skybet.com Castleford Chase at the course the following day.
Smith revealed: “Mister McGoldrick is also in the Castleford Chase so he’s by no means sure to run in the Rowland Meyrick.
“I was very pleased with his last run in the Rehearsal Chase because that came on the back of a quick run at Huntingdon and I think he was feeling the effects from that, plus he was top weight, carrying two stone more than the winner (Direct Access) at Newcastle.”
Smith also has progressive chaser Ross Comm in the Rowland Meyrick but his preferred engagement is the Welsh National at Chepstow.
“Ross Comm is in very good form,” continued Smith. “He’s also in the Welsh National but at this time of year the weather can go one way or the other, so at the moment he’s more likely to go for the Welsh National. He was going extremely well in the Hennessy, he just seemed to do the splits in front on landing but other than that, he seems to be fine.”
