Trainer Brian Smith is hopeful Ivy's League can measure up to better grades than Wednesday's Mittys Handicap at Doomben but doubts the former New Zealander is a winter carnival contender.Ivy's League crossed the Tasman with a win and two placings from nine starts before failing in his Australian debut, finishing 24 lengths away in last place on a slow track in a 1400-metre class one at the Sunshine Coast on January 10.However, the son of Montjeu showed vast improvement when Smith stepped him up

Trainer Brian Smith is hopeful Ivy's League can measure up to better grades than Wednesday's Mittys Handicap at Doomben but doubts the former New Zealander is a winter carnival contender.

Ivy's League crossed the Tasman with a win and two placings from nine starts before failing in his Australian debut, finishing 24 lengths away in last place on a slow track in a 1400-metre class one at the Sunshine Coast on January 10.

However, the son of Montjeu showed vast improvement when Smith stepped him up to 1700 metres to score an easy two-length win against the same class opposition at Ipswich on January 28.

"It took some time to get him right as he had a lingering muscle injury from his days in New Zealand," Smith said.

"His last win was quite good but it was only a class one and he's stepping up to class four tomorrow."

Smith has no concerns with the gelding jumping in distance to 2220 metres as he won his maiden over 2100 metres as a three-year-old in his former home land.

Doomben was rated a good three on Tuesday but the threat of rain was a worrying factor for Smith.

Prior to his failure in the wet at Caloundra, Ivy's League had started twice in rain-affected going, finishing fifth on a slow track in a 2200-metre Maiden at Trentham in January last year and a struggling seventh on a heavy track over 2000 metres at Matamata last May.

"I'm not worried about the distance but if we get rain the track will have the fire out of it," Smith said.

"He went terrible at Caloundra on a wet track in his first run for me and his record shows he might not like the wet.

"I think he's a nice horse who might be able to make it to Saturday class over a journey but I'm not convinced yet whether he's up to the better winter races."

The winter races may not be on Ivy's League's agenda but they are for stablemate Hume who has been in work for eight weeks following his Melbourne spring campaign.

Smith has pencilled in a 1350-metre race at Doomben on March 13 for Hume's return after his last-start fifth to Sterling Prince in the Group Three Queen Elizabeth (2500m) at Flemington in November.

Smith plans to send Hume to Sydney during the autumn for two starts before returning home to aim for the Group One Doomben Cup (2020m) in May.

"I'll have to take him to Sydney to get him ready for the Doomben Cup," Smith said.

"The alternative is to run him in the Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast but he's got such a big stride I doubt the small track would suit him."