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Trainer Michael Freedman is hoping his stable’s successful autumn carnival continues with star filly Manaal poised to get the chance to cap her juvenile season in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes.
The Freedman stable had three stakes winners during the two days of The Championships at Randwick, headlined by Manaal’s Group 1 win in the ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes on April 6.
Ducasse also won on April 6 in the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes while on Saturday, Panic took out the Listed South Pacific Classic.
A week before The Championships, Wymark raced to a Group 2 win in the Tulloch Stakes at Rosehill.
“It’s been amazing,” Freedman said after Panic’s win on Saturday.
“For a relatively small team, to be competing at this level and getting a few winners, it’s a big thrill and a huge credit to the whole team.”
The Randwick trainer is pressing on with plans to run Manaal in Saturday’s Champagne Stakes over 1600m at Sydney’s final Group 1 meeting for the season.
“She seems great,” Freedman said.
“She bounced out of last Saturday well. She certainly hasn’t given me any indications not to run her. We won’t make a final decision until early or mid next week when we need to but all the signs are pretty good at the moment.”
Manaal started her career with victory in the Gimcrack Stakes for two-year-old fillies at Randwick last September.
She resumed from a spell and finished second to Lady Of Camelot, giving her 3kg, in the Widden Stakes in February before winning the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes.
After an eye-catching fifth behind Lady Of Camelot in the $5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper, Manaal trained on to win the Group 1 Sires’ Produce over 1400m.
The Champagne would be Manaal’s fifth run of her preparation.
“That’s been a factor that I’ve kept in the back of my mind,” Freedman said.
“That to me is probably well and truly enough. But she’s a good, tough girl and she’s given me no indication at the moment that we wouldn’t be running.”
Freedman is also hoping for a barrier draw for Manaal in the Champagne Stakes that allows her to take up a better position in running after having to settle right back in the field in both the Golden Slipper and Sires’ Produce from outside gates.
“I think up over a mile she could potentially be ridden a bit handier,” Freedman said.
“Barriers have dictated where we have ridden her in her last two starts but if she drew a slightly softer gate we could probably be a little bit more forward. She’s pretty versatile.”
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