Matthew Smith is aiming to surprise some top-tier sprinters with the speedy gelding, Way To The Stars, who will make his debut at Group 1 level in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington this Saturday.

After securing victory in his last outing at the Listed Century Stakes (1000m) over the same track and distance, Smith was encouraged by a commanding recent trial performance. He also pointed out Way To The Stars’ impressive first-up record, boasting four wins from five starts.

“Horse looks great, work’s been good, I’m really happy with him, I think he’s going to come down and have a crack at the Lightning,” Smith said.

“I don’t know what’s going there, but I’m sure it’ll be a good field, always is. You never know. Some of the others aren’t quite ready yet, but we might give it a shake. He’s going well, though. The horse is going great, he looks well, I’m really happy with him.”

A third-place finish behind I Am Me and Bella Nipotina in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) last campaign indicated that Way To The Stars has the potential to compete at a high level under the right conditions.

“He just got caught in that 1,000-metre race. He’s a good horse who goes out and makes his own luck. With a horse like him, you just never know,” Smith said. “That was probably a career peak, that run. It was a very, very good run. I mean, if he produced that race, well, he won’t be too far from them.”

“He might be able to get a couple of easy sectionals if they’re first up, a lot of those horses. He can pinch a decent race for sure.”

Although Smith acknowledges that competing at weight-for-age in a Group 1 race might be a tough challenge for Way To The Stars, the Warwick Farm-based trainer believes it will provide valuable insight for the rest of the season. Future plans may see the gelding return to Sydney for the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) and the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m).