A travel fiasco has stranded highly-rated Kiwi youngster Bally Duff who will miss the Group One TJ Smith at Eagle Farm.Trainer Donna Logan was confident Bally Duff could defy his maiden status in Saturday's 1600-metre feature before eventually aiming the O'Reilly colt for the Victoria Derby at Flemington in the spring.Bally Duff, who was to be ridden by Michael Rodd, was edged out in close finishes at his only two starts, over 1200 metres at Pukekohe on March 1 and over 1400 metres at Ellerslie

A travel fiasco has stranded highly-rated Kiwi youngster Bally Duff who will miss the Group One TJ Smith at Eagle Farm.

Trainer Donna Logan was confident Bally Duff could defy his maiden status in Saturday's 1600-metre feature before eventually aiming the O'Reilly colt for the Victoria Derby at Flemington in the spring.

Bally Duff, who was to be ridden by Michael Rodd, was edged out in close finishes at his only two starts, over 1200 metres at Pukekohe on March 1 and over 1400 metres at Ellerslie on May 23.

Logan has been a regular visitor to Brisbane for many years but was forced to abort the TJ Smith mission with Bally Duff after several frustrating days trying to organise a flight across the Tasman.

"I've been trying since Monday night to get him booked on a flight over but each time they've cancelled it," Logan said.

"There's only one plane that goes over and it hit a flock of birds recently and they can't get the parts from Boeing to fix it.

"I just rang again this morning in desperation but they told me the flight was cancelled again so we can't get him over in time."

Logan has a big opinion of Bally Duff and wasn't frightened of meeting TJ Smith favourite Shoot Out.

The Gold Coast youngster rocketed into TJ Smith favouritism with his explosive victory in the Group Two Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm last week.

Shoot Out's trainer John Wallace rates him the best horse he's trained and is also hopeful the son of High Chaparral can earn a shot at the Victoria Derby in November.

"I wasn't worried about Shoot Out as I rate my bloke very highly," Logan said.

"He would have been the first two-year-old I'd taken to Australia.

"When he got beaten at his first start he got knocked over and flew home.

"The horse that beat him (Donthassleme) is rated very highly over here. They think he could be another Starcraft."

Logan also offered excuses for Bally Duff's last-start defeat in the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes.

"It was a very heavy track that day and it was only his class that got him so close and he was only beaten a long head," she said.

Logan has struck success several times in previous Queensland visits and hopes to bring Castle Heights over for the Group Three Tattersall's Cup (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 20 and Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) a week later.

Logan won the Tattersall's Cup in 2006 with Ring Of Fire and the Caloundra Cup in 2002 with Victory Smile.

"I'm just hoping the plane will be fixed by the time he's ready to go over next week," she said.