With over seven months remaining until the Melbourne Cup, Sydney trainer Matthew Smith is already laying the groundwork for a potential contender in Australia’s most prestigious race.

Smith has his UK-bred runner, Waltham, entered in the Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington this Saturday, aiming for a direct route into the Melbourne Cup field.

Victory in the Roy Higgins guarantees a ballot exemption for the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), set to take place at Flemington in November.

Over his two-decade training career, Smith has only had one previous Melbourne Cup starter, with True Marvel finishing eighth in 2023 behind Without A Fight.

As a trainer who enjoys developing stayers, Smith has been impressed with Waltham, who is set to make just his tenth career start this weekend.

Waltham began his racing journey in Ireland, securing back-to-back victories at Leopardstown over 2615m before heading to Australia. His latest success came over 2400m at the Gold Coast.

One of his strongest performances since arriving in Australia was a placing in the Group 3 ATC St Leger (2600m) at Randwick last October.

“It looks a good race for him, and it gives you the bonus of getting into the Melbourne Cup if you can win,” Smith said.

“He’s a good horse I think, and he’ll be winning a good race at some stage.

“We sent him up to the Gold Coast last time to get a win on the board and get his rating up a bit as there wasn’t a lot for him here in Sydney.

“That helped him, and hopefully it’s given him a bit of confidence going forward.

“He’s worked well since and we couldn’t be happier with him.”

Ben Melham is booked to take the ride on Waltham this Saturday. Depending on how the stayer performs, Smith may also consider targeting the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 12.