Tom Kitten achieved Group 1 success before Godolphin made the significant decision to geld him. This intervention not only validated the choice through subsequent victories but also established a valuable model for the operation.

Jason Walsh, Godolphin’s racing and bloodstock manager, shared that their past success with the two-time All-Star Mile champion provided the assurance needed to pursue a similar course of action with the Joe Pride-trained Attica. Attica, like Tom Kitten, was a colt when he triumphed in the Spring Champion Stakes, but his career reached a pivotal moment when replicating that elite form proved challenging in the autumn.

“It’s an interesting comparison,” Walsh commented.

“We took the decision to geld him (Attica) in the hope he’d make into a Tom Kitten, a subsequent weight-for-age gelding hopefully winning more Group Ones along the way. He’s obviously got that yet to do.

“They’re hard decisions for our operation to geld Group One winners.

“But from the day he’s come in this time as a gelding, Joe has said he carries himself differently. He’s sharper. He’s trialled like that, and he’s jumping from the machines better.”

So strong are the parallels between the two horses that Tom Kitten and Attica have been specifically targeted at the same race: Saturday’s Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

The former will be aiming to rebound from two unplaced runs in Melbourne, for which Walsh contends there were genuine excuses. Attica, conversely, arrives with compelling recent form. Despite not being fully focused on racing last campaign, he secured third place behind Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) over the Epsom’s course and distance. He has been building form nicely in two recent outings, most recently an eye-catching third in the Tramway Stakes (1400m).

Attica also benefits from a favourable weight assignment, carrying just 51.5kg.

“He’s got the perfect profile to show up with that sort of weight here,” Walsh stated.

“His form around Autumn Boy, who’s race favourite, is pretty good, and he’s got enough weight differential to say we’re looking forward to competing from a good draw.”

In a significant move, trainer Joe Pride has reinstated blinkers on Attica, a piece of equipment he was reacquainted with during a recent barrier trial under jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

“They’re on. Joe was keen to trial him and give Kerrin the chance to feel him in them, and both came away from that morning very pleased,” Walsh confirmed.

“He probably needs a little bit of help when the pressure goes on in a race to find top gear as quick as he can. But he’s won some very big races in them in the past, he comes back as a gelding, and we’ve set him up with this race in mind.”

Godolphin has a notable history in the Epsom Handicap, having won the event twice in the last decade with Hartnell in 2018 and Hauraki in 2016.

With the Epsom Handicap fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to explore the racing odds available at various Australian betting sites.