"He felt better today. He was a bit tired on Tuesday," Lance Justice, the trainer-driver of Smoken Up, said.
Smoken Up had finished second to Terror to Love in the New Zealand Cup on Tuesday.
He had been placed in three New Zealand Cups and a New Zealand Free-For-All in his previous four starts at Addington.
It was the first win at Addington for Justice.
"It is a huge thing. I know a few who have gone a lifetime without winning a race at Addington," he said.
Factors in travel arrangements had delayed the arrival of Smoken Up in Canterbury from Melbourne, he said.
"I had to put the flight back a a week to allow a blood test to be done for disease. Then he was on the go for 18 hours travelling from Melbourne and did not arrive until 5 o'clock on Saturday morning," Justice said.
"It was little wonder the horse was a bit jaded."
Smoken Up is on a flight back to Sydney tomorrow and then on to Melbourne. His next assignment is the Miracle Mile, a race he won last year.
Justice said he had tried to conserve Smoken Up yesterday.
"It was quite difficult into the wind."
He took Smoken Up to the front after 600m of the 2000 after starting from barrier six.
Smoken Up was joined by Franco Emirate at the 700m but shook the latter off in the run home to win by a length and a-quarter in a 1.56.9 mile rate.
Smoken Up took his stake earnings to $3,066,026 with the $80,000 first prize. He has won 54 races from 101 starts.
Justice is driving at Menangle tonight. He has The Smiler and Our Malabar in quest of invitations to the Miracle Mile.
