Smith dares to dream of QTIS Jewel victory

By Glenn Davis

A likely wet track has young trainer Tom Smith daring to dream he can win the $500,000 QTIS 3YO Jewel at the Gold Coast on Saturday with Rockhampton sprinter Scrub Chain.

Scrub Chain – a Tahlia Fenlon mount – has won five of his 10 starts in Central and North Queensland, including his past four on the trot.

The son of Jungle Cat was a $8,000 buy at the Gold Coast March yearling sales and has been ultra impressive winning from 1100 metres to 1300 metres during his string of four wins.

“He’s strung four wins together and has won five of his 10 starts so he’s going well,” Smith said.

“The distance won’t be a problem for him as it’s smack bang in the middle of what he’s done so far winning from 1100 to 1300 metres.

“We wouldn’t mind a wet track but we weren’t expecting to get this much rain.

“We want a wet track, so soft or heavy will do us fine.”

Scrub Chain has started six times on soft tracks for three wins and a third while his record on heavy tracks stands at two starts for a win and a second.

Smith has been to Brisbane on and off since talking out his trainers’ licence five years ago and will be looking for QTIS Jewel redemption after narrow defeats from his best galloper Better Rain.

Better Rain finished second to the Steven O'Dea and Matthew Hoysted-trained She’sgottheboom in the 2022 edition of the QTIS Jewel 2Y0.

“Better Rain is the best horse I’ve trained and I sent him down for the QTIS Jewel when he ran second a few years ago,” Smith said.

“He went down the following year for the three-year-old QTIS Jewel and got beaten a lip for second when he ran fourth to All That Pizzazz at Doomben.

“Better Rain was a good horse and also ran a good race to finish sixth in the (Group 3) Vo Rogue Plate that year.”

Better Rain was owned by cattlemen Stewart Nobbs and John Howard who also own Scrub Chain.

Smith won his only metropolitan race with Acres Away at Eagle Farm in 2023 after once dreaming of becoming a pilot before taking up training as a teenager.

“I think he’ll be very competitive down there but it's a hard race with a lot chances," Smith said.

“Scrub Chain is still in Rockhampton but we’re looking to travel down on Thursday after we check the roads are clear."