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By Ray Hickson

They are the phone calls owners don’t like to receive, and ones trainers never like to make.

A year ago, a week after his exciting sprinter Headwall looked like securing a TAB Everest spot with his win in the Concorde Stakes, trainer Matthew Smith had to make one of those calls and break some bad news.

Trainer Matthew Smith (Pic: Grant Guy).

He’d sustained an injury to his near hind leg and was out of Everest contention, out of the spring and his future unknown.

Fortunately for Headwall, Smith, and all concerned the horse is back at Randwick on Saturday for a second shot at a TAB Everest berth and to defend his Group 2 $1m Catanach’s Jewellers Concorde Stakes (1000m) crown.

“It’s one of the tough parts about training because everyone has expectations,” Smith said.

“The owners have expectations, the strapper has and the work rider, everyone is keen to see what he’s going to do.

“I didn’t think about (whether he’d run his last race). I just gave him the time and hoped he would be right.

“Every day when you watch them gallop you’re worried about something happening. You’re waiting for the phone call, but that’s every horse. It’s just the better ones you’re more focused on.

“He’s such a promising horse so it’s tough when it happens, hopefully he can stay sound with a bit of luck and show us what he can do.

“He’s a Group 1 horse and we want to knock one over.”

The last horse to win back-to-back Concordes was Redzel, and he did it three years running, while prior to Headwall seven of the previous eight Concorde winners were selected for the TAB Everest.

Headwall, $4.60 with TAB on Thursday, has been in work for quite some time, Smith had him up and trialling back on June 1 and he goes into the Concorde with four trials under his belt.

The upside to that slow build up is Smith doesn’t have to be too concerned about the seven-year-old being underdone, sure there’s improvement to come but that’s only natural when you’ve been marking time for a year.

“It’s better than having a rushed preparation, I’d rather take my time and let him tick over and gradually get him fit,’’ he said.

“He should be somewhere thereabouts, based on last year’s race and his form prior to that.

“I don’t see why he won’t run well. I don’t have any massive expectations, I’m not going there thinking he’s just going to win or anything like that I just think he will run very well.

“I like where he’s drawn, Randwick is a big track with plenty of room. I think he should be able to land midfield, it’s a lovely draw for him.

“He’ll go to the Shorts and then we’ll know where we are going.”

Stablemate Way To The Stars was initially headed for the Moir at Sandown but Smith elected to keep him in Sydney.

The gelding ran third in the Concorde in 2024 and while he disappointed last time out in the Missile he’s since won a trial and Smith is pleased with him.

“We didn’t know what was going on with the weather, we wanted to go to Melbourne but we’re here now,’’ he said.

“He’s going great, his work has been good and he will run a good race.”

The Group 1 Epsom Handicap is shaping as the race Smith would like to win with his classy mare Idle Flyer and he’d be happy to claim the Group 2 $300,000 Myplates Tramways Stakes (1400m) along the way.

Idle Flyer, winner of the Queen Of The Turf Stakes in the autumn, hit the line late when resuming behind Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes and has a four from four record when second-up.

“Her work has been good, her first-up run was very good and everything is ticking over nicely,’’ he said.

“It was about what we thought, we were happy with about midfield in that sort of race. She wasn’t forward enough to run any better, she’ll improve off that and be better on Saturday.

Headwall run second in a Rosehill trial on August 21

“She should be somewhere in the finish, whether she wins or not she won’t be far away."

Matthew Smith on Scillato (race 3): “She did a bit wrong first-up, the horse can be a bit difficult. Her work has been good and I think she will run a much improved race. She’s drawn a good gate and she’ll be handy somewhere.”

Meanwhile, Smith said his emerging stayer Aethelwulf is headed for the Group 3 Newcastle Cup (2300m) on September 18.

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