Canberra-based trainer Smart will likely skip the Gundagai Cup to have a crack at the Group 2 (2600 metres) with Great Glen at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

It's a jump in distance and quality, but Smart smiles "this is what he did back in the early days."

The British gelding joined Smart's stables in August, following stints with former Winx trainer Chris Waller and Henry Dwyer.

He's gone from being at the bottom of the pecking order to the star of Smart's stable, having run two listed races in the past month.

He finished ninth in the Canberra Cup before bouncing back with a podium finish in Albury, giving Smart confidence ahead of Saturday's $300,000 race.

"He's a long shot that's for sure, but he's good enough and we know he can stay." Smart said.

"He hasn't been tried over the distance, he's ridden cold so we're going to give him a crack on Saturday.

"The horse did this sort of distance back in the earlier days. There were a couple of years where he probably wasn't right, he was racing on speed.

"I've changed his tactics which has been a great turnaround, it's given him a new lease on life.

"I'm letting him relax at the back of the field and then use the turn as he'd like, so he can stay. He's getting older now, so you have to give him an easier time earlier and let him have that turn later.

"I think he can run a strong 2600 and maybe a 3000 metre race in time. I know him back to front now and hopefully he can put his best foot forward over the 2600, which I think he will."

Great Glen has not run a 2600 metre race since August 2016, but Smart has gradually increased his distance this year.

He hopes to get another year out of the eight-year-old gelding, given his improvement since joining the stable.

The veteran-stayer has had a podium finish in three of his past five starts, coming off a fourth place in Wagga Wagga.

Racing is one of the only professional sports still running in Australia at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak, albeit behind closed doors and with strict biosecurity measures in place.

Saturday's meet at Royal Randwick will be the opener of The Championships, which usually attracts a crowd of more than 20,000.

"If he ran well it would still be exciting, but obviously with the crowd and the theatre of it makes you more excited if the horse goes well," Smart said.

"The crowd gets you up and going. It's not the be all and end all, it's just how things are at the moment. I'm just happy for him to just run a nice race, which I think he will."

Smart says the pandemic has not affected his training schedule just yet, but has limited staff accompanying Great Glen to Sydney.

"We have to nominate who is going and who is driving the float, everything is really thorough in that regard," Smart said.

"It hasn't really changed my training resume at all, it's just when we get to the races it'll definitely be different in trying to keep our distance.

"We have to have our temperatures taken as well. You've got to do what you've got to do.

"I'll be traveling and to reduce contact I'll strap the horse myself."