Blueblood colt enriches his pedigree
Michael Freedman believes Enriched (I Am Invincible) has the potential to become the next stallion to emerge from the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m) after the colt extended his trainer’s purple patch of form in Randwick’s Group 2.
After Chris Waller’s star filly Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) was scratched on Saturday morning after returning an elevated temperature, it threw the race wide open, and Enriched seized his opportunity with both hands to double his stakes tally with a tough victory under his regular rider Tommy Berry.
The $1 million contest turned into a two-horse duel down the Randwick straight, and Enriched ultimately gained the upper hand on Imperial Force (Snitzel) for the in-form Bjorn Baker stable, with Public Attention (Written Tycoon) rounding out an all-colts trifecta.
Enriched joins the likes of Newgate Farm stallion Wild Ruler (Snitzel) and Widden Stud resident Rebel Dane (California Dane) on the Arrowfield Sprint honour roll, and the stud farms are now likely to be circling the blueblood colt, who hails from the family of Winx (Street Cry).
One of his part-owners, David Wallace, also raced Wild Ruler and his fellow Newgate resident In The Congo (Snitzel), so there is a good chance Henry Field’s operation will be leading the chase for Enriched, a $450,000 purchase for Michael Freedman Racing in partnership with Gandharvi and Mick Wallace from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Bred by Peter Board, who retained a share in the colt’s ownership together with his wife Michelle and brother Terry, Enriched is the third winner from four to race for the unraced mare Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta de Lago), a half-sister to the mighty Winx.
His pedigree made him a potentially valuable proposition, and that potential is certainly being realised as Enriched added the Arrowfield to his Fireball Stakes (Listed, 1200m) success for Freedman, who will remember the autumn of 2025 for a very long time following Marhoona’s (Snitzel) Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) triumph.
“Coming into today, we were sort of wondering whether we were going to have enough improvement in us to beat the filly [Autumn Glow], so when she got scratched this morning, it obviously opened the race up quite a bit,” said Freedman.
“Tommy and I had a good chat this morning about being positive from the gate, sitting at the leader’s girth, which is what he ended up doing. He’s got a good turn of foot the colt, he’s a high-class horse and very well-bred, so maybe he’s got a future at stud somewhere.
“It’s one of those races where some very good colts have won it in the past and have gone on to stud. It’s a terrific result, and there’s such a great bunch of owners in him. They’re a great bunch of people to train for, and it’s another amazing result for the stable.
“I said after the Slipper that my staff are amazing, and they do such a great job. This win, as was the Slipper, is as much about them as anyone else, because they put in the hours. They’re tireless in their commitment to the job, they’re not highly paid but they do it for the love of it and I’m very grateful for the job they do.”
For his part, Berry was confident a long way from home that the race was theirs for the taking, and although Imperial Force laid down a persistent challenge there was a near half-length margin on the line.
“He’s got that brilliant speed, so you can use that and ask him knowing that as soon as you put the bit in his mouth, he just comes back to you and relaxes so well,” said Berry.
“After a furlong, we got a cheap sectional and I thought to myself that he just couldn’t get beat today. It obviously made it a bit easier with the filly coming out of the race this morning, but he would have given her a good run for her money. We might not have beaten her, because she’s pretty special, but he’s a good colt and he’s very well-bred, so that will take him a long way.”
Of the beaten brigade, Parr labelled Imperial Force’s runner-up finish a “fantastic performance”.
“He had to show a bit of toughness today, and showed he was more than capable of doing so,” he added.
Public Attention’s pilot Chad Schofield was just as impressed with his colt’s display, saying: “It was a really good run.
“The pace up front probably didn’t help, but he is a good colt improving all the time and I think he has a good race in him.”