‘Smart' Money With Kanzan

THERE'S no place like home.

That age old adage couldn't be any truer for hugely talented galloper Kanzan, an emphatic Richmond winner in a fast 30.50 on Friday night for trainer John Smart.

While her opposition were no doubt nestled away in their kennels on Thursday, 24 hours out from their Richmond assignment, as this photo demonstrates Kanzan took a far more relaxed approach into the 535-metre event, taking pride of place in Smart's Camden South lounge room.

"She gets spoiled rotten here and responds to it – we get on like a house on fire the two of us," said Smart in the lead up to Saturday night's NSW Bred Stayers heats (720m) at Wentworth Park.

Winner at 11 of her 52 starts, the daughter of Dyna Double One and Asterix has posted some rattling times during her career, including a dazzling 42.08 for the 720 metres at Wentworth Park, recorded when defeating Group 1 winner Blue Moon Rising at the journey late last year.

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"When she gets the right box and a clear run she can run you anything, she absolutely loves Richmond no matter what the distance or conditions, she just seems to fly there no matter what," added Smart.

"When she got back from Melbourne the other week I could tell she just loved being home – she gets plenty of one-on-one attention here and as I said she really responds to that. It shows in her races."

Smart – who was once the strapper of former champion thoroughbred Octagonal – is no stranger to conditioning top flight staying bitches, putting the polish on Lovelace throughout her career.

"Kanzan and Lovelace get on fantastic here at home, no issues at all," added Smart.

"I'm breaking in four pups out of Lovelace that are 14 months old and I couldn't be happier with how they are going. I've had them over the shorts at Dapto and they are running 11.90 run homes – they are going great."

On Saturday night, Smart's two-time Group 1 finalist Kanzan tackles the opening heat of the NSW Bred Distance Series (720m), the following week's final worth a cool $10,000 to-the-winner.

"She's never won from box seven or eight in her career," declared Smart, concerned about the extreme draw this weekend.

"At Wenty she tends to ease into a spot early and wait for the field to spread out before she gets going. When they're breaking records out in front it's impossible to peg back that kind of time but hopefully on Saturday her class gets her through.

"She went up Appin Tuesday morning and went the best – she's feeling great and is jumping out of her skin, I can't fault her."

In a cracking match up this Saturday night, Kanzan, owned by the Quaddie Boys syndicate which includes Racenet's Clinton Payne, Sky Racing's Paul Joice, jockey manager Andrew Northridge and Callum Hockey, tackles Mark Gatt's prodigious talent Ritza Vonnie, the exciting youngster making her 720m debut.

The second heat sees John Finn's Two Times Twice pitch-forked into the series from box two, the son of Fernando Bale's biggest danger Show Me Confetti, most impressive scoring last week for Alan and Christine Proctor in 42.66.