Michael Freedman’s notable talent with two-year-old horses was again evident at Randwick as Shraddha made the Gimcrack Stakes a one-horse race, leading the trainer to compare her to Manaal.
Manaal claimed the same race three years prior, subsequently winning the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) in the autumn and three additional black-type races after her juvenile campaign.
Freedman has also captured two of the last six Golden Slippers with Marhoona (2025) and Stay Inside (2021), prepared in partnership with his brother Richard. He laughed off any suggestions of a secret method for juveniles.
“I love working with them. I don’t know that there is any secret sauce,” Freedman remarked.
“You just work with them and the ones that look like they’ll go early will tell you, and the ones that don’t will tell you the same way.”
“Funnily enough, I said to my foreman this morning, she reminds me a lot of Manaal. She has a really good turn of foot, which Manaal did too, and I think she has a bright future.”
By Ole Dancer, Shraddha was a $250,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase and had previously led to win her 850m heat at the official two-year-old trials last month.
However, Freedman had instructed jockey Tommy Berry to attempt to settle the filly behind runners in Saturday’s Gimcrack Stakes (1000m). This tactic almost proved challenging as the filly had to find a tight gap to make her winning run.
“There wasn’t much of a gap there at the top of the straight, but she put herself into it and won with authority,” Berry stated.
“She hit the front at the 300 metres and had her ears pricked the whole way down the straight.”
“When the opposition gets better, she will get better.”
Freedman also had colt Capitano finish second to Flying Houdini in the Breeders’ Plate (1000m) for the colts. He mentioned that he would monitor both youngsters’ recovery before confirming any plans.
His initial thoughts are to give Capitano a spell and aim for the Magic Millions Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast in January, while spelling Shraddha for an autumn carnival campaign.
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