Manaal provides Michael’s Momentum

Manaal has been pencilled in to return to racing on the opening Group 1 day of the season, but trainer Michael Freedman won’t test the Tassort filly in that company just yet, opting to keep the Group 1 Inglis Sires (1400m) winner in her own age company for now.

The Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 24th, the same day as the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m), is likely to be Manaal’s starting point for the Spring which will help determine which path she goes down.

“There are options. Obviously the Princess Series is the obvious one with the Furious, the Tea Rose and the Flight, but there would also be the option of having a look at the Run To The Rose, Golden Rose as a pathway,” Freedman said.

“I think we’ll just see how she returns and make some firmer decisions after that.”

Already a Group 1 winner over some high-class male juveniles including Storm Boy, Coleman and Traffic Warden, Freedman believes the filly has developed nicely as she enters her three-year-old season, having worked to the line well in her first trial on July 26th behind Schwarz, finishing fourth over 900m at Warwick Farm.

“Really nice. She went around, had a really easy one, I’ll probably give her another one in a couple of weeks’ time with the view to running first up in the Silver Shadow,” Freedman said.

Beaten by Broadsiding in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m) before a spell, Freedman has no issues with Manaal getting to a mile again in the Spring, noting the races were called off shortly after the Champagne due to the heavy track.

“I thought she was pretty unlucky in the Golden Slipper from a horrible draw and you probably couldn’t read anything into the Champagne run, the track was so heavy which she didn’t handle… she gives me every indication that a mile is within her scope so that leaves the Princess Series as a possibility.”

Wednesday’s Warwick Farm meeting is the last chance for Freedman to add to a successful season, with 66 winners from 335 runners, but says his two horses entered, Flying Destiny and Ballet D’Esprit, are “doubtful” to run if the track doesn’t improve.

“We’ve had a good season, we’re only dealing with relatively small numbers, it takes time and even now we’re still a very young stable… I don’t have a lot of older horses but the depth of the stable has definitely improved over the past 12 or 18 months.”

“When you’re dealing with smaller numbers compared to big stables these days you take those good wins whenever you can get them so we were very happy with the way things went.”