Freedman pleased with Manaal’s Sheraco win
Talented filly Manaal (4 m Tassort – Red Lodge by Midshipman) snapped a year long losing streak when she took out Saturday’s Sheraco Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Rosehill.
Trained by Michael Freedman, the four-year-old defeated Dark Glitter (Spieth) by 0.6 lengths with Gangsta Granny (Written Tycoon) finishing a further 1.1 lengths away in third.
“She is a great mare,” Freedman said. “It’s been a little while between drinks for her.
“I was just saying before last preparation she had wretched luck with barriers.
“We drew off the track I don’t know how many times. She was running well without much luck and seemed to come back in good order this preparation.”
Manaal has now won stakes races in her first three seasons, having won the Sweet Embrace Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) and Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) as a juvenile before claiming the Furious Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) last spring.
Manaal only beat a handful of runners home first-up in Melbourne when eighth in the Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield but relished racing back the Sydney way of going.
“When we skipped the race on the heavy track the other day at Randwick and went to Caulfield, she didn’t really like Caulfield much,” Freedman said.
“Damian Lane rang me that night and said I wouldn’t be too hard on her.
“I was always a little bit concerned about carrying the 58kg against a couple of good mares today.”
As a four-year-old, Manaal is eligible to run in the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) in November at Rosehill Gardens where her price was slashed from $51 into $15.
The trainer will also give consideration to the $2 million The Invitation (1400m), which is staged a week before the Golden Eagle at Royal Randwick on October 25.
“There are lots of good options for four-year-old mares in the Spring,” Freedman said. “You have The Invitation, being a four-year-old the Golden Eagle wouldn’t be out of the equation.
“I think we just pick our way a little bit from here. I’m just really heartened by the fact I can see she is back in good form.”
The Sheraco Stakes was blown open on race day morning following the scratching of The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) bound sprinter and early favourite Joliestar (Zoustar).
Joliestar will now line up in next week’s The Shorts (Gr 2, 1100m) at Randwick instead.