Robert Smerdon hell-bent on breaking record Black And Bent, ridden by Steven Pateman, after winning at Sandown. ROBERT Smerdon has cleared the decks for champion hurdler Black And Bent to enter the record books at Mornington tomorrow. Smerdon has a powerful jumps team, including recent winners Brungle Cry, Stoneblack and Kirribilli Gold, but they won't be taking on Black And Bent when he tries for an Australian record 10 jumps wins in a row. Black And Bent will contest the 3300m John Dow Memorial Hurdle -- his first start over the hurdles since he won the Galleywood Hurdle last May. Smerdon said connections had been keen to have Black And Bent as fit as possible for his jumps return so he could break the record, set in 1969. It will have taken Black And Bent more than three years to achieve the record, which took Lots Of Time just 102 days. Black And Bent's sequence began when he won at Sandown in April 2010. He won three hurdle races in 2010, four in 2011 and two in 2012, but he has been twice sidelined by tendon injuries, the second time after last year's Galleywood victory. "His owners have been mindful of this record, so I've guided him along and given him a good grounding in the lead-up to the return," Smerdon said. Black And Bent has had four flat races and two hurdle trials since returning. He's a little bit older but there's nothing telling me he's not as good. Smerdon said. He's got an attitude like his brother, Some Are Bent, that they would walk through walls in their work. Black And Bent has only five rivals to beat to claim the record. Brungle Cry and Kirribilli Gold have gone in different directions this weekend -- which was deliberate. Brungle Cry will run in the 3200m Andrew Ramsden Stakes at Flemington today, while Kirribilli Gold will make her debut over the bigger obstacles in the 3300m Great Southern Steeplechase at Mornington. "I'll try and keep Brungle Cry and Black And Bent apart, but there's a realistic chance they could clash in the Australian Hurdle," Smerdon said.