Lead Story
Freedman eyes Oaks win with unlikely stayer Profoundly
By Trevor Marshallsea
@ANZ_News
A filly bred to sprint and a trainer not known for stayers will attempt to defy the odds at Randwick on Saturday when Michael Freedman’s Profoundly (Farnan) seeks top tier glory in the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
Originally purchased at Inglis Classic by Freedman’s brother Lee for just $65,000, Profoundly hails from the first crop of 2020 Slipper hero Farnan (Not A Single Doubt). While the Kia Ora stallion has made an impressive start to stud life, his progeny have raced 203 times up to 1400 metres, and six times beyond a mile.
What's On
Profoundly is among that half dozen, and last Saturday became her sire’s first stakes winner past 1400 metres in taking the traditional Oaks lead-up, the Adrian Knox Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) at Randwick. She’ll head back there on the one-week back-up as she seeks a huge residual value boost in the tougher staying test.
On the dam’s side, the slightly-built filly is out of Profound Wisdom (Al Samer) who raced 15 times for two winter wins, over 1400 metres at Mildura and 1550 metres at Morphettville.
Her sire Al Samer (Redoute’s Choice) contested the 2005 Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) after winning Canberra’s Black Opal (Gr 3, 1200m). He also claimed Rosehill’s Darby Munro Stakes (Listed, 1300m) in a career restricted to seven starts. As a broodmare sire, he’s had 113 winners up to 1600 metres, and 15 beyond 1800 metres.
Profound Wisdom’s dam Ghaliah (Secret Savings) raced nine times, up to 1350 metres, for a 1300-metre maiden win.
Advertisement
Profound Wisdom had one stakes winner from five runners before Profoundly scored on Saturday, that being Sebonack (Capitalist), who has two career wins – both over 1000 metres – including Caulfield’s Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on debut.
“I really don’t know where she gets her staying power from, to be honest,” Freedman said of Profoundly. “She’s by a Slipper winner out of that type of mare.
“But sometimes pedigrees can be defied a bit. Extreme Choice siring a Melbourne Cup winner would have surprised everybody too.”
That example, of a Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) hero leaving the 3200-metre Cup-winner Knight’s Choice is probably more, err, extreme than what will be attempted by Profoundly this weekend.
But Freedman said that what Knight’s Choice and Profoundly had in common was an ability to settle, “which is crucial in staying races”, with Knight’s Choice cuddled at the rear of the field before sprinting home in the straight to win Australia’s greatest race.
And while casting a glance over Profoundly’s pedigree might raise eyebrows, what meets the eye physically does suggest she would be capable of staying.
“That’s what Lee said about 18 months ago when he first got her,” Freedman told ANZ News. “He said, ‘I think I’ve got a pretty handy Farnan filly who I think could stay a bit.’ He was right on both counts.
“She’s certainly built like a staying type. She’s quite a rangy type, doesn’t carry a whole lot of bulk, but she’s got a very good lung capacity, which showed on Saturday. She’s got a nice deep girth, long foreleg, all the attributes of a staying type.
“There’s nothing sprinting about her physically, and she does relax very well in her races, which is a big asset.”
The youngest Freedman assumed Profoundly when the eldest retired from training at the end of last season, remaining on as foreman when Michael took over his Gold Coast stable.
Having won a 1300-metre Eagle Farm maiden for Lee at start number two, she had three more northern runs under Michael’s name, including a 1600-metres second at Doomben, before earning promotion to Sydney.
She made her southern debut in last October’s Reginald Allen Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Randwick, working home impressively from last of 11 at the 400 metres for a 2.4-length fourth behind Panova (Trapeze Artist), who also won Flemington’s Carbine Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m) at her next start.
“She got a long way back and made up a lot of ground late, and the form out of the race ended up looking pretty strong,” Freedman said.
Advertisement
After a spell, Profoundly has fully bloomed this autumn. A first-up victory in a 1400-metre Warwick Farm females’ Benchmark 72 was followed by an eye-catching 0.3-length third in the Kembla Grange Classic (Gr 3, 1600m).
“She was four-wide with no cover most of the way, but probably wins in another two strides,” Freedman said of the Group 3 placing. “She really put the writing on the wall that day at Kembla. Arguably, she could be three-from-three this prep.”
Her third-up run came last Saturday when, in her first try beyond 1600 metres, Profoundly settled well in midfield on the fence before Berry found the better going on Randwick’s Soft 7, coming home down the middle of the straight to end up careering away to a dominant 2.2-length win.
And so to this Saturday, where the filly will try to add an extra 400 metres of pedigree defiance in the Oaks while also negotiating the quick back-up. Bookmakers give her a fair chance of doing it successfully, with Profoundly the $3.50 second-favourite behind Ohope Wins (Ocean Park), and with that filly’s Chris Waller-trained stablemate Soverato (Vadamos) – runner-up in the Adrian Knox – next best at $8.
Advertisement
While the Knox is accepted as the traditional Oaks lead-up, only one filly has achieved the double in the past 12 years, and she was exceptional in other senses of the word, being Godolphin’s dual Group 1 winner and five-time stakes victor Colette (Hallowed Crown).
Furthermore, only three have done in the double in the past 21 years.
Still, Freedman has solid grounds to hope Profoundly will cope with the back-up and the rise in distance – not to mention class.
“I’m none the wiser than anybody else about the back-up, but she seems to have come out of Saturday well,” said Freedman of Profoundly, who had three-week breaks between her second and third starts this campaign.
“She’s pulled up great. She more or less ate up on Saturday night. She seems bright and happy at this stage and it’s all systems go for Saturday.
“She won’t need to do much between now and Saturday. But you hope they can do the back-up, and they give you all the signs that they will, but I guess until you try you never know.
“It is the same for the distance. You’re hoping she’ll get the trip and she gives every indication she will, but until you try it’s a guessing game.
“But that said, just going on what we saw on Saturday, she was very strong through the line in her first try over the 2000 metres.
“Tommy said she gives him the feeling she’ll run the 2400 metres. She hardly had much of a blow after the 2000 metres on Saturday, and Tommy said she was very strong through the line. They’re all the things you look at as indicators as to whether she’ll run the trip out or not.”
He added: “She’s now physically and mentally developed a bit more. She looks like she’s ready to have a try at the mile and a half.
“She stepped up to the 2000 really well, so hopefully she can do something similar this Saturday, even though she’s up against tougher opposition as well.”
Profoundly’s trainer, too, will be charting new territory, metaphorically and physically.
Freedman has enjoyed outstanding success since going it alone following his split from brother Richard in 2022. His highlights have included winning last year’s Golden Slipper with Marhoona (Snitzel), who claimed a second elite victory last month in Rosehill’s The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m), and taking the 2024 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) with Manaal (Tassort).
Super filly Apocalyptic (Extreme Choice) won the final three legs of last spring’s Princess Series at Randwick, culminating in the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), while Freedman has also won a Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) with Communist (Russian Revolution).
The Randwick conditioner’s rise was reflected in the fact he was involved in the purchase of four seven-figure lots at last week’s Inglis Easter sale – more than any other trainer.
“I don’t know if that’s good or bad,” he joked, alluding to the pressure that beings. “But still, you’d rather have those horses coming into your yard than someone else’s.”
Yet for all his success, Freedman has not quite built a reputation as a trainer of stayers.
“I copped some ribbing from my fellow trainers before the Adrian Knox, that I’d need to ask someone where the 2000 metre start was,” he said with a laugh. “And I’m pretty sure I haven’t had a runner in the Oaks before.
“It’s fair to say I’ve probably been a bit more heavily balanced towards two-year-olds and shorter course racing, though not by design. But it’s nice to have a staying type in the stable.”
When told Profoundly would become just the third filly in 17 years to win the Knox-Oaks double if successful, Freedman drew a breath but remained hopeful.
“The stats aren’t great,” he said, “but at least it’s been shown it can be done.”
