Trainer Matt Smith hopes his trio heading to Randwick on Saturday can add to his early spring carnival contingent as he prepares to welcome back headliners Idle Flyer and Headwall.

The Warwick Farm trainer has wet-track specialist Prima Bella, speedster Way To The Stars and the consistent Ready To Shine racing at Randwick. Time Quest is likely to go to the Coffs Harbour Cup on Friday, when group 1 winner Idle Flyer and Everest hopeful Headwall trial at Rosehill.

Idle Flyer, which beat a hot field in the group 1 Queen of the Turf (1600m) in the autumn, has had one trial back and Smith was weighing up her first race on August 22 and spring targets.

“She’s a good mare. I didn’t realise how good she was until she won that last race, to win that and be so strong through the line,” Smith said.

“We’ll give her a good hit out on Friday and see where we go with her, whether we run in the Winx Stakes or the Show County. We’ll just see, there’s not a push to either race at this stage. Then we will work our way to the King Charles or the Epsom.”

Headwall won the $1 million Concorde Stakes (1000m) last year to be in line for an Everest slot before a pastern injury ruled him out. The now seven-year-old has not raced since, after an aborted winter return.

“He’s strong, he’s fine,” Smith said.

“He’ll trial again in two weeks and go to the Concorde [on September 5].”

Smith has Way To The Stars in the first group race of the new Sydney season, the Missile Stakes, where he was $61 (TAB). He was looking beyond Saturday to the group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown with the eight-year-old, but he expected an improved effort in the 1200m group 2 after he faded to fourth last start in the July Sprint (1100m).

“He’ll roll forward and take it up. You’re there with 100 to go and hopefully it keeps going this time,” he said.

“The heavy track didn’t suit him last time and he had 60 kilos, so he just felt the pinch the last bit, and he was first up, so I thought he would. But he’s a bit fitter now. He will be cherry ripe third up, probably in the Moir.”

Smith believed Prima Bella could also race into spring stakes races if she continued her form and found wet tracks. She won in a dead-heat last start at Flemington over 1000m and has been a close third and a victor on heavy ground over the distance at Randwick this preparation. She was $5.50 for the sixth, a benchmark 88 (1000m), with Randwick a soft 6. Mollie Fitzgerald’s claim gets her down to 52.5 kilograms.

“She’s been consistent through the winter, she’s just getting up in grade now, so we just take the weight off and she’ll go to the front and see if she can hang on,” he said.

“Now she’s fit, I wouldn’t be afraid to try her at 1100 or something like that. I’ve kept her at a 1000, but she’s always strong at the 1000. I’ll run her in this and then try and pick one out and then have a throw the stumps somewhere.”

Six-year-old Ready To Shine gives Smith another winning chance on the card. He was two lengths fourth last start on heavy going after finishing top two in four consecutive runs.

“He’s been very consistent, he’s really stepped up that horse,” he said of the $8.50 chance in the last.

“He’s got to carry big weight, but 1200 should be ideal, the track should be fine for him, his work’s been good. [Apprentice] Siena [Grima] thought it was too wet for him last start, so back on a little bit better surface would suit.”