The seven year old gelding has been ultra consistent this season having won three races from five starts but Fitzpatrick realises Friday’s challenge will be a very difficult one to overcome.

“It’s the last roll of the dice for many of the horses on Friday night and with Blacks A Fake in the race it doesn’t make it any easier. The positive for Make Me Smile is that he has drawn a good gate (barrier 2) and he races so well at Harold Park.”

Make Me Smile has an impressive record over the 1760 metres at Harold Park having only being defeated twice in six starts. The gelding finished third behind Emmas Only in the Australian Pacing Gold as a two year old and he finished fourth behind Top Taper in the 2006 Cordina Quicken Chicken Sprint.

“He hasn’t had that many starts over the 1760 but because he loves Harold Park and he loves to lead he has proved very hard to run around. He has pulled up very well after last week at Newcastle and we are expecting another big run.”

It will be the gelding’s second run in seven days after he finished eighth in the Newcastle Mile last Saturday. Make Me Smile was less than twelve metres behind Special Albert after being restrained in the early stages but Fitzpatrick explained there was an excuse for his lack of customary early speed.

“I had a chat to Gavin and he said the first time they scored up, the mobile wasn’t moving any quicker than normal however when they came up for the second time the mobile’s speed was a lot faster and so Make Me Smile wasn’t able to explode out of the gates like he normally does. “

Fitzpatrick is undecided on Make Me Smile’s long term future but has planned out the next month for the son of Grinfromeartoear.

“He will race this week and if he managed to beat Blacks A Fake he may get selected in the Miracle Mile. If he doesn’t get selected for the Mile he will contest the Bohemia Crystal Free For All on the same night. After that we will go to Bankstown for the Treuer Memorial and then I have a decision to make.”

Fitzpatrick will not head to Melbourne for the Victoria Cup during December but is considering two other options.

“We either go to Tasmania at Christmas time and compete in the feature races down there or Make Me Smile will have a short break and be freshened up for the Inter Dominion in Queensland next year in March. “

The attraction in Tasmania is the Wrest Point Tasmania Cup, a standing start event over 2579 metres. The feature is worth $150,000 and is a race that Fitzpatrick believes would suit the gelding.

“He is a lovely stand start horse at home and while he has never competed in a stand at the races, the plans were in place to take him to the Kilmore Cup. The weather put an end to that though. We had planned to give him a trial at Penrith on the Wednesday night before Kilmore but there was heavy rain on the morning of the trial. With the Kilmore Cup over 3000 metres that final hit-out was going to be crucial and I didn’t nominate because I thought the trials would be called off. In the end the trials went ahead but I hadn’t nominated him so he didn’t go to Victoria.”

The Cordina Quicken Chicken Sprint is race four at Harold Park on Friday night and will start at 8:30pm.