Freedman upbeat about Moravia and Ducasse
Pair of three-year-old colts set to tackle tomorrow’s feature races at Rosehill
Following Queen Of The Ball’s (I Am Invincible) near miss in last weekend’s Toy Show Quality (Gr 3, 1100m) at Randwick, Michael Freedman is hoping that a pair of smart three-year-olds can go one better than their stablemate in their respective races at Rosehill this weekend.
Having shown talent in a trio starts between them as juveniles, Moravia (Snitzel) and Ducasse (Trapeze Artist) will step into stakes grade this weekend, with the former lining up in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), while the latter will head to the Up And Coming Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m).
An $800,000 purchase from the Edinburgh Park draft for Mick Wallace, who was acting as agent for the Freedman Brothers, and The Osher Group at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Moravia impressed in his three trial outings prior to making a successful debut at Newcastle on August 10.
Ridden by Tyler Schiller that day, as he will be tomorrow, the son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) powered clear of his rivals in the closing stages to defeat Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) runner-up Perfect Proposal (Russian Revolution) by two lengths, and Freedman feels he won despite the 900-metre distance that day.
“He seems in good order and seems to have trained on nicely since his first-up win a couple of weeks ago,” Freedman told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He’s a horse I’ve always had a nice opinion of. He has taken a little while to mature both mentally and physically and we’ve just had to be patient with him.
“I don’t think the 900 metres was to his absolute liking the other day, if it’d have been further he’d have probably won by further. However, he’s still learning his trade so this weekend we’ve gone with a set of visors just to give him a little bit more confidence and focus.”
With a roll of honour which includes subsequent Group 1 winners Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock) and In The Congo (Snitzel), while talented pair Star Turn (Star Witness), Pariah (Redoute’s Choice) also landed the Group 3 and Moravia will be tackling plenty of unexposed rivals in tomorrow’s 12-runner field, including Annabel Neasham’s undefeated filly Libertad (Russian Revolution), and Freedman admitted it may be a tough task from his barrier draw in nine.
“We’re not underestimating the step up in grade this weekend, but he’s a horse with talent and I think once he can put it all together he will hopefully be winning some nice races,” the trainer said.
“The draw is a little bit awkward, you’d have loved to have drawn a bit lower over the 1100 metres at Rosehill so that is a tad tricky. Given that, he’ll likely roll forward and hopefully find a nice spot somewhere without being trapped wide.”
Moravia is the first foal out of the Star Witness (Starcraft) mare Our Crown Mistress, a five-time winner for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, including in the Hybrid Plate (Listed, 1400m) and Just Now Quality (Listed, 1350m), and Freedman is confident Moravia is a stakes horse in the making.
“We’d be hoping black type could arrive at some point, whether it is this weekend or not remains to be seen,” Freedman said.
“The more racing and experience he gets, the more he will improve, and barring any bad luck this weekend we’ll get a good look at where we should be heading this spring.”
The Randwick-based trainer is also hopeful of a promising effort from Trapeze Artist (Snitzel) colt Ducasse, who runs in the Up And Coming Stakes earlier on the card, a contest that Michael won with his brother Richard in 2021 with Tiger Of Malay (Extreme Choice).
Having finished third in an 1100-metre maiden on a heavy track at Rosehill on April 29, Ducasse then endured a torrid run of the race whe seventh in the Spirit Of Boom Classic (Gr 2, 1200m) at Doomben on May 13, having been stuck out wide before coming home under a conservative ride.
“I think he’s a pretty progressive colt and he probably should’ve won first time out at Rosehill,” Freedman said.
“He then went to Brisbane for the Champagne Classic [Spirit Of Boom Classic] and got a torrid run of it yet was still not beaten that far. He also pulled up a tad shin sore, so in the circumstances the run was full of merit.
“He’s had a nice spell in Queensland after those efforts and he’s come back with two nice trials. He is still eligible for a maiden but this race, from barrier one, is likely to give us a better idea of where to aim this spring.”
Stepped up again in trip this weekend, Freedman believes the three-year-old, who will also be ridden by Tyler Schiller, will appreciate stepping up in trip in the future
“On his running he gives me the impression he is going to enjoy stepping out a little bit in trip, despite being by Trapeze Artist,” he said.
“He gives the impression he’d like going over 1400 metres or a mile, so Saturday’s contest is a good starting point.”
Just like the San Domenico Stakes, the Up And Coming Stakes has a classy roll of honour, with the likes of subsequent stallions Fastnet Rock (Danehill), Exceed and Excel (Danehill), Testa Rossa (Perugino) and General Nediym (Nediym) all having won the race previously.
This year’s renewal sees a typically competitive bunch set to line up, including impressive winners Manwe, who is the only colt by failed stallion Kementari (Lonhro), while the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Les Vampires (Pierro) and last season’s Pierro Plate (1100m) winner Cafe Millenium (Not A Single Doubt) are also set to face the starter.
“I certainly think he has the class to match it with some of these better ones in time,” Freedman said. “It’s just the timing of where we want to head with him and what is currently available on the program. It is a bit of an ask going into a Group 3 over 1300 [metres] first up, but hopefully he runs well here and we can target some nice races going forward.
“If he can put his hand up this weekend then better still, but he has a good future further down the track.”
Freedman teamed up with Julian Blaxland Bloodstock to buy the colt from the Segenhoe Stud draft for $280,000 at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
He is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Serene Majesty (Fastnet Rock), stakes winner Curdled (All Too Hard) and the stakes-placed winners Brulee (Hinchinbrook) and Panna Cotta (Fastnet Rock), being the ninth foal out of the Lonhro (Octagonal) mare Custard, who won the Oaklands Plate (Listed, 1507m) for trainer David Hayes.
Freedman also revealed that his three-time Group 3-winning mare Queen Of The Ball had pulled up well after her excellent first-up second behind Parisal (Astern) in last Saturday’s Toy Show Quality, with the trainer revealing the Sheraco Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in a fortnight’s time was now on the agenda.
“She’s done super since that run. If that track had just been in the Good 4 or Soft 5 rating then she’d likely have been tough to catch,” Freedman said. “She just isn’t quite as effective on tracks with a bit of give.
“We may go to the Sheraco Stakes with her next in two weeks’ time, but we also have some options in Melbourne too.”
However, Mach Ten (Exceed And Excel), who broke his maiden in impressive style at the fourth time of asking in a 900-metre event at Newcastle on the same day, has had interest from Hong Kong.
“He’s actually being vetted as a possible sale to Hong Kong I believe so I guess it’ll depend on the outcome of that,” the trainer said.
“If he doesn’t go there then I’ll start mapping something out for him.”