Ace Victorian horseman Darren Weir was on fire in Sydney on Saturday and is keen to chase more Group 1 glory over ‘The Championships’ including confirming a late entry for Japanese import Brave Smash in the 2018 TJ Smith Stakes.

The Everest placegetter Brave Smash will be kept to six furlongs for a shot at the TJ Smith Stakes 2018 in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Tosen Phantom five-year-old is already an elite level winner down under having beaten his stablemate, the also former Japanese-trained Tosen Stardom, in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) this February.

Brave Smash backed-up from that weight-for-age Blue Diamond Day win with a narrow second to Redkirk Warrior down the Flemington straight, beaten a nostril flare in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) on Super Saturday.

The plan is to now send the horse to Sydney on April 7 at Royal Randwick for the Group 1 $2.5 million Darley TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

Brave Smash is currently nominated for the Group 1 $3 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) on the same day, but Weir confirmed to RSN on Sunday that a late entry would be paid for the TJ Smith Stakes instead.

“With Brave Smash, we’re going to pay the late entry for the T.J. Smith Stakes,” he said.

The race has been dominated for the past three years by the ‘Grey Flash’ Chautauqua, but Team Hawkes’ super sprinter’s future racing career is in doubt after he refused to trial on three occasions.

Brave Smash has form at the TJ Smith Stakes track and distance running just a length back third at big odds behind the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Redzel in the inaugural The Everest (1200m) last October.

It is Redzel on top of futures TJ Smith Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

The Snitzel five-year-old has won the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m), finished runner-up to Redkirk Warrior in the Group 1 Lighting Stakes and won the Group 2 Challenge Stakes since The Everest success.

Brave Smash meanwhile will be looking to win the TJ Smith Stakes off a Newmarket Handicap lead-up for the fourth time in five years following Lankan Rupee doing the double in 2014 and Chautauqua improving on a second and third respectively in 2015 and 2016.

Weir will still be well represented in the Doncaster Mile 2018 on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ confirming plans for Humidor and Tosen Stardom to clash in the handicap feature.

“Humidor and Tosen Stardom are going to go up for the Doncaster,” he said.

“They had gallops at Ballarat last week and all of them went good, they’ll have another gallop on Tuesday morning and then head up to Sydney.”

Humidor was last seen winning Flemington’s Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) second-up on March 17, while Deep Impact seven-year-old Tosen Stardom ran last in the same race dropping right out late.

Weir could also have representation in this Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5 million Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens with a decision pending on whether his Ranvet Stakes winner from Golden Slipper Day Gailo Chop would race on the quick back-up.

To back the Weir runners in the Sydney Group 1 races over the coming weeks at the right prices head to Ladbrokes.com.au today.