Winter carnival trip on the line in the 2025 Clarendon Stakes for Aerodrome

Trainer Michael Freedman is hopeful that Aerodrome can make the most of the Clarendon Stakes at Hawkesbury, a race that has helped launch many successful racing careers.

Aerodrome, by Ole Kirk, turned heads at Warwick Farm earlier this month when he wore down Hidden Motive, who would go on to place in a Saturday city race, with the two leaving the rest of the field almost five lengths behind.

Freedman, who trained Marhoona to victory in the Golden Slipper earlier this year, sees plenty of potential in the young horse. A solid showing in the Clarendon Stakes (1400m) could secure him a spot at the Queensland winter carnival.

“I thought his first-up effort was terrific and he has improved off the back of that,” Freedman said.

“He will head to the Clarendon at Hawkesbury and if he can put in a good performance there, he will earn himself a trip to Queensland for something.

“A run over 1400 on Saturday will give us a much better idea (of his distance range) and if he is able to perform there, we could look at going up for races like the Sires’ Produce and J J (Atkins) potentially.”

The Clarendon Stakes may not hold black-type status, but its place in the racing calendar makes it an important opportunity for maturing juveniles between the Sydney and Brisbane carnivals.

Zoustar, a standout winner of the race in 2013, later captured the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m) and won two Group 1 races before beginning a top-level career at stud.

Graff, who won in 2018, and Zardozi, who took the honours in 2023 before claiming the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m), are other success stories linked to the race.

Hawkesbury’s standalone Saturday meeting continues to grow in popularity, offering four stakes races including the Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m), which provides a Big Dance qualification path for competitors.