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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Matt Kelley will go looking for a TAB Highway to target with recent recruit Ana Carolina if she completes her eligibility with a win at Queanbeyan on Sunday.

Trainer Matthew Kelley (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The four-year-old, formerly trained by John O’Shea & Tom Charlton, made a winning debut for Kelley at Gundagai just over a month ago before bumping into a mare with Group 1 form as she ran third in a 2000m Class 1 at Canberra.

That horse is Aethelflaed, who at her previous start was runner-up in the 2023 VRC Oaks.

Kelley said while beaten four lengths the fact the winner went on to run second in a Benchmark 100 at her next start is good form for a race like the Air Force Plate (2000m), a Class 1 and Maiden.

“She was extremely unlucky to run into the horse of Matt Smith’s,’’ Kelley said.

“I thought there was a lot of merit in it and she certainly hasn’t gone backwards at all.

“If we can find a Highway for her that’d be her next aim. If there isn’t one at 1800m I can freshen her up and give her a month or five weeks and find one over a mile.”

Ana Carolina, $2.80 with TAB on Saturday, was accepted for Friday’s Canberra meeting but Kelley scratched all his runners on his home track in favour of Queanbeyan.

“She drew one in both but Queanbeyan had a few more perks to it, she’s BOBS eligible and it looks a weaker race regardless,’’ Kelley said.

“She’ll be third the fence and should get a pretty cruisy run and be very strong late.”

I Am A Rockstar was a $400,000 yearling and came to Kelley unraced from Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, with six trials over a 12 month period, and it’s fair to say first impressions weren’t the best.

He was beaten over 11 lengths on debut but Kelley, after the gelding was narrowly beaten at Canberra on April 26, has grown to believe that a win isn’t far away and he should be competitive in the Navy Country Boosted Handicap (1460m).

“I didn’t give him much hope when I first got him, he was very limited but he’s improving after every race and every track gallop,’’ he said.

“I haven’t really seen a horse improve as much as he has in such a short period of time.

“We were ready to pass him on but he just kept getting better. His last run had heaps of merit, I know there wasn’t a lot in the field and I think there is more upside than what he appears.

“He was running through the post so the 1460m won’t be a drama and he’ll probably get better as he gets over further.”

Kelley blames himself for Lookacrossthewater’s failure at her first start for the stable and is expecting a reversal in the Peter & Audrey Sharp Memorial (900m).

The two-year-old, who was previously prepared by Doug Gorrel, didn’t handle the going as she faded to be beaten five lengths at the Sapphire Coast last week.

“I shouldn’t have run her on that track. She did the first half of her race right, she jumped and ran, but the tail end of the race she was weak in the testing conditions,’’ he said.

“With how big she is at the moment she’ll always struggle on testing tracks so I think you’ll see a different horse and different result.”

Ana Carolina runs third at Canberra on April 18

It’s fair to say Kelley hasn’t yet found the key to Quadratic, who came to him from the Hayes brothers partnership, and has his fingers crossed first-up in the Steve Conroy Memorial (1460m).

“She’s highly strung and difficult to train, you’ve got to have a lot of patience and she’s certainly testing it,’’ said.

“We tipped her out and she’s come back and everything seems to be going well touch wood and we need to see improvement.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Gosford meeting