Without A Fight set for Underwood Stakes return

Sam Freedman has been happy to talk about Without A Fight but he is now more than ready to see the galloper back at the races.

That appearance comes in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Without A Fight came to Australia last year with Simon and Ed Crisford for the Melbourne Cup, in which he finished 13th to Gold Trip, before being transferred to the care of Anthony and Sam Freedman.

Two starts in Queensland during winter saw Without A Fight land victories in the Lord Mayor’s Cup (1800m) and the Q22 (2200m), both at Eagle Farm, part of setting the gelding up for the spring.

Without A Fight is entered in Melbourne’s three majors – the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 21, the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 28 and the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 7.

No race has been confirmed or ruled out with the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 7 to determine the gelding’s path.

Sam Freedman said Without A Fight was forward enough to run a well on Saturday, but what he wants to see is a ‘flashing light run’ to set him up for the Turnbull Stakes.

“He’s drawn a nice enough gate and there looks good enough tempo to ride him midfield, or just off midfield,” Freedman said.

“He’s pretty forward and we think he’ll run well.

“He’s got a long spring ahead, with the Turnbull Stakes then the Caulfield Cup or possibly the Cox Plate, so we want to see him relax and finish off and have a flashing light for his next run at Flemington.”

One thing in Without A Fight’s favour this campaign will be the firmer track conditions expected throughout the spring.

“He’s had a few runs on soft ground, and he doesn’t like it,” Freedman said.

“Even in his gallops he can’t get his feet stable on that sort of ground.

“He wants fast ground, and it looks like a spring where we are going to get firmer ground, which is pleasing for him.”

Without A Fight has 55.5kg in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, which Freedman said was possibly at the higher end of the weight scale for the galloper.

He said West Wind Blows, prepared by Without A Fight’s previous trainers, looked attractively weighted in the Caulfield Cup.

Freedman said the Melbourne Cup had not been completely ruled out, but a final decision on the gelding’s program would not be made until he ran in the Turnbull Stakes.

“We’re going to be guided by the way he’s performing in his next couple of runs,” Freedman said.

“We need to see how his first few runs are shaping and how he’s relaxing, and I wouldn’t necessarily say he doesn’t run the turn miles, but it’s fast ground he needs.

“Last year he was there to the turn (in the Cup), but the ground was too shifty for him to let go, but on top of the ground he wouldn’t be out of place.

“It’s a big ask to run in that race off the plane, so he will have had a more traditional build-up this year.”