Smith hopes to retire with Stampede win

By Glenn Davis 

Trainer Craig Smith is hoping for a fairytale finish to his 30-plus year training career if Keenzap can book a spot in the Country Stampede Final at Doomben later this month. 

The 59-year-old Smith still has a dozen horses in work at his Roma base but has announced he plans to retire from training in three weeks. 

“I’ve decided it’s time to retire and my last meeting will be at Roma on December 7 and I’ll have eight runners that day,” Smith said. 

“I’m not 60 yet but I’ve got too much on at the moment. 

“I’ve got a lot of property and run cattle so I’ve got plenty to do. 

“I still plan to be involved with racing by breeding a few and I’ll race a couple, as well.”   

In the meantime, Smith will have one final throw at the stumps with Keenzap to claim his first Country Stampede Final at Doomben on November 30. 

Keenzap will be ridden by Adam Sewell in the Country Stampede qualifier at Roma on Saturday and Smith is confident the five-year-old will acquit himself well. 

The son of Better Than Ready has won eight of his 23 starts for Smith and is coming off a fading sixth to Without Shame in a 1200 metre Country Stampede qualifier at Charleville on November 5. 

“He ran third in this race last year but he found 1200 metres too far last start at Charleville,” Smith said. 

“He’s never won past 1000 metres before but if he wins, he’ll definitely run in the Final and hopefully he’ll run the 1110 metres.” 

Smith has been a strong supporter of country racing during his training days and has welcomed Racing Queensland’s initiatives to promote country horses in the metropolitan area. 

While he is yet to have a starter in the Country Stampede Final, he won the Battle Of The Bush Final in 2023 with Art By Concorde who also finished third in last year’s Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben. 

Smith was also hoping to secure a spot with Bors in the Country Cups Challenge Final but he did not make the field for the Roma qualifier.  

He is currently third emergency for the Country Cups Challenge qualifier, which also is run as the Roma Cup.

Smith has won the Roma Cup three times.

If Borg fails to make the field, the six-year-old will start in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1640 metres.