Trainer Michael Freedman believes his promising three-year-old San Giovanni will thrive over the extra trip when he lines up in Saturday’s Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.
The up-and-coming stayer will be having his fourth run of the preparation — and possibly his final one this campaign — before spelling ahead of a targeted autumn return. Freedman has been patient with the late-maturing gelding, who didn’t debut until late in his two-year-old season but made an immediate impression with back-to-back wins at Newcastle and Kembla Grange in July.
After those two strong maiden victories, San Giovanni was freshened and returned in the Listed Ming Dynasty Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 14, where he finished unplaced in a high-pressure contest. Since stepping out in trip, however, the son of So You Think has begun to show his true staying credentials, notching consecutive third-place finishes at Rosehill over 1800m — including last start in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes on October 11 behind Shangri La Boy and The Pearls.
Freedman said the performance in the Gloaming gave him plenty of confidence heading into the Spring Champion, which will be the gelding’s first test at 2000m.
“He ran great in the Gloaming last time,” Freedman said. “He was really strong through the line, and to me he shaped as though he’s going to really relish the 2000 metres. He’s still learning, but he’s improving with every run.”
While some trainers have used the Spring Champion as a springboard to the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) the following week at Flemington, Freedman confirmed that Melbourne won’t be on San Giovanni’s agenda. Since the Spring Champion’s move to a later slot in the spring in 2022, two winners — Sharp ‘N’ Smart and El Castello — have tried the seven-day back-up into the Derby, with mixed results.
“I’m not a huge fan of the 2500 metres of the Derby for the three-year-olds at this time of the year,” Freedman said. “I think if he can run well on Saturday, then we’ll probably pull the pin, give him a spell, and look toward the autumn. He’s come a long way in a relatively short space of time, so I think he’s got a future as a stayer.”
San Giovanni has drawn ideally in barrier five for Saturday’s $2 million feature and will again be partnered by Andrew Adkins, who has ridden him in all three starts this campaign. Freedman said the gelding has continued to progress in both his physical and mental development since joining the stable and expects another strong showing.
“He’s really starting to put it all together now,” Freedman said. “He’s a big, strong horse with a good attitude and he’s taken each step up in grade in his stride. He’s still on the way up and Saturday will tell us a lot about where he sits heading into the autumn.”
The Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes has drawn a capacity field of 14 plus one emergency and promises to be a true staying test for the three-year-olds. Freedman is confident that if the race is genuinely run, San Giovanni’s late strength will come to the fore.
