For Smith, high life’s on the racetrack
His teammates walk into the hotel with shopping bags of luxury stores in hand. Steve Smith too was present, but there were no bags in his hands.
The young batsman has taken over as Rajasthan Royals captain, and is heir to the retired Michael Clarke’s ODI throne. Usually when a player reaches that stature, he indulges himself in redcarpet events, appears on jazzy magazine covers. Virat Kohli loves it; Clarke made a habit of it.
Not Smith. In casual shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops, he was enjoying the team’s off-day. Had it been Sydney, one of cricket’s brightest batting talents could be found at the Royal Randwick on raceday. For, he prefers horse-racing to partying and spending time with his horses than mingle with the crème de la crème of the society.
“I own a couple of horses; it’s a little bit of fun to watch them go around, a little bit of a hobby. So, yeah I enjoy watching them whenever I get the opportunity,” he says.
Like Ravindra Jadeja, Smith too adores his horses. Like the Indian, he too had four horses till recently. The Sutherland Shire player’s horses race and Smith relishes time out watching them.
“I’ve just sold the one with (jockey) Les Bridge but I have three with Chris Waller (leading trainer in Australia). They are going ok, just a bit fun,” he smiles. “It’s a great track there, done up nicely.”
For the last two months, Smith has been at the IPL. He travels to the Caribbean after this before heading to England for the Ashes. The travel keeps him away from his horses. “There is a lot of travel these days so I don’t get a lot of opportunities, but it’s a hobby I’ve enjoyed. Just look forward to watching them go around again.”