Smith qualified Streamliner for the Regional Championships final at Riverina Paceway next week after an all-the-way victory on Friday.

The eight-year-old hadn't been placed in five starts since winning at Wagga in February.

The closest he'd been was a two fourths heading into the heat, and the closest margin was an 11.5-metre eighth, but Smith had been pleased with his performances, just not the barrier draws.

"All his runs had been terrific and I've never seen a horse go so good in his life," Smith said.

"When you draw eight a couple times in a row and then nine or 10 in that class when you're last all the time and trying to make ground off them is hard.

"Miranda (McLaughlin) has been driving him and would get off saying he went super but running fourths and fifths.

"This time he got the draw."

Coming up with barrier five this time around Smith decided to take advantage.

It was a move that worked as Streamliner ($3.40) crossed to an early lead before drawing away from his rivals in the straight to down Topsie Grinner ($3.30 fav) by 7.7 metres.

"He's got a far bit of gate speed but when you draw seven or eight you can't go forward as it is too hard," Smith said.

"You have to go back.

"His last win before that he drew one so a lot of those races it comes down to the draw."

Streamliner bucked the trend in the final of five heats at Riverina Paceway as the only horse who wasn't a four-year-old to taste victory.

The eight-year-old was claimed out of Victoria for $5000 and he's more than repaid Smith as he brought up his fourth win for the stable and 12^th overall from 97 starts.

"He's been a good old horse," Smith said.

"We claimed him out of Victoria mainly for a young girl I had helping me work horses so she could get her licence on him.

"He's hit his straps so we kept racing him."

It is the second time Smith has qualified a horse for a group one.

The first was Belongtolou who ran ninth in the NSW Breeders Challenge two-year-old fillies final in 2018.

With that experience under his belt the Cartwrights Hill horseman feels he know what to expect this time around.

"I'm prepared for this one," Smith said.

"I wasn't really prepared for the last one as being the first time you don't know where you are going or what you are doing."

He's also got the advantage of being stable virtually on the track with Wagga's new track just down the road from his stable.

Streamliner's mile rate of 1:57.3 was the slowest of the five heat winners, almost half a second off his closest rival (We Salute You) and almost four seconds off the ultra-impressive Whereyabinboppin.

The second round of heats is on Friday before Wagga's first ground one of any code seven days later.

Heat winners are ineligible for the next round.

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