Michael Freedman has long believed Apocalyptic was well above average, and she proved it with a commanding win in the Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick.

Forced to race wide throughout from an awkward draw, the filly still produced a devastating sprint under Tommy Berry to score by 1-3/4 lengths at $3, cementing her status as the standout contender for the upcoming Flight Stakes.

Freedman admitted he was concerned pre-race about the barrier but said her performance was that of a filly with rare ability. “I think she’s pretty special,” he said. “I was very impressed with her first-up two weeks ago but overcoming a few difficulties there today with the wide run, through no fault of Tommy’s, we were always worried about that gate. To let down like she did, from a training perspective, you don’t get too many horses that can do that.”

Having already claimed the Furious Stakes, Apocalyptic now has two legs of the Princess Series to her name and tightened from $4.50 into $2.20 favouritism for the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m).

Berry said he had no issue being posted wide. “I would have loved a heart monitor on Michael halfway around,” Berry joked. “We both knew before the race it was a very tricky barrier. She’s got such a big stride…. I didn’t really mind being wide on her, it was better than being in. We’ve had a big wrap on her for a long time and it’s great to see it come to fruition.”

Artistic Venture ($41) finished off well for second while the $2.50 favourite Tupakara stuck on bravely for third.