Golden Slipper winner poised for return in 2025 Heritage Stakes
Happy with a tactical delay, Michael Freedman will launch Golden Slipper winner Marhoona’s spring in the Heritage Stakes at Rosehill this week.
Marhoona was scratched from The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick last Saturday—a race Joliestar won impressively—after Freedman reviewed tempo, weights and the draw, concluding the Listed assignment seven days later was a smarter fit.
“When I had a look at the set-up of the race and the weight she was going to carry, she was only getting a kilo off Joliestar and the barrier was a little bit of a concern too,” Freedman said.
“We thought, we’ll just go against her own age group and hopefully ont o the Roman Consul (Stakes) after that.
“I’m really happy with her. She worked great here last Tuesday (week) and it was really just deciding to wait and go to (this) week.”
Her rapid freshman campaign included a tight debut victory at Canterbury in February, a runner-up finish to Tempted in the Reisling Stakes (1200m), and the crowning win in the Golden Slipper (1200m).
Freedman’s three-year-old hand is strong beyond Marhoona, featuring Tea Rose Stakes winner Apocalyptic and the progressive Magenta Skies, who broke through at the Newcastle Cup meeting to warrant a stakes tilt next start.
For the older ranks, Manaal spearheads the team in the Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) after bouncing back in the Sheraco Stakes (1200m).
The stable will consider stretching Manaal’s spring targets to include the Golden Eagle (1500m) depending on how she comes through Rosehill.
“There are lots of good options for four-year-old mares here in the spring,” Freedman said.
“There’s The Invitation and being a four-year-old the Golden Eagle wouldn’t be out of the equation being 1500 (metres).”
Barrier draws mirror each other: Marhoona has four in the Heritage Stakes (1100m) and Manaal also jumps from four in the Golden Pendant.
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