Latest News

By Ray Hickson

A mental freshen up and some help from the barrier gods has trainer Michael Freedman quietly confident he’ll see the best of Communist in Saturday’s Group 1 $1.5m TAB Epsom (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

Trainer Michael Freedman (Pic: Bradley Photos).

The Group 1 Randwick Guineas winner has been seemingly out of form this spring with failures in the Winx Stakes and Tramway Stakes, both at 1400m, but Freedman said wide barriers didn’t give him the chance to travel in either.

So he sent the four-year-old to Woodpark Stud at Mittagong, where Jean Dubois formerly trained, for a change of scenery in the hope it will turn around Communist’s fortunes.

“He had a week or 10 days of working up the hill and going out in the paddock for a few hours a day to break up the routine,’’ Freedman said.

“I think horses appreciate that and he seemed to come back with a bit of pep in his step.

“We’ll certainly know a lot more about where we are at, on face value he’s drawn a nice enough gate to get a good economical run on what is his favourite track and distance.”

Communist, $23 with TAB on Friday, drew barrier six in the Epsom and has Dylan Gibbons in the saddle.

Freedman said everything he’s seen since returning to his stable, including his trial last week, says to him that he will show a return to form and hopes to find a nice run not too far off the leaders with the make up of the field lacking a bit of pace.

“His trial last Friday was a nice one, somewhat unextended on a pretty choppy track,’’ he said.

“I was happy with how he came through that as was Dylan and he’s had a good week. We’ve tried to mix things up a bit but the key is getting him into a spot where he can get a nice run.

“He hasn’t had an opportunity in his last couple from wide gates that have made life a bit tough.

“He normally begins well so it gives Dylan a few options to try and find that good run in the first half a dozen.”

Unbeaten three-year-old Pushy faces his biggest test in the Listed $250,000 Catanach’s Jewellers Dulcify Stakes (1600m) and Freedman is giving him the chance to earn a shot at the Spring Champion Stakes.

The gelding was a runaway winner of a Benchmark 68 over a mile at Newcastle two weeks ago and while he has his work cut out a little from a wide gate that’s Jason Collett’s problem.

“We have a good rider of those sort of races, he obviously liked the way he went at Newcastle the other day,’’ Freedman said.

“He’s a progressive young horse, he probably needs a bit of luck from that gate to find a spot. If he can get a bit of luck he can run well.”

Like many of the Dulcify field, Freedman said the Gloaming Stakes (1800m) on Everest Day and the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) two weeks later are obvious progressions for Pushy if he can make the leap in class.

“It’ll be good to get him on his home track and we will get a few ideas in terms of where to if he can acquit himself well,’’ he said.

“It’s his first racing prep, I am mindful of that, and I don’t want to be overtaxing him if he shows signs of needing the paddock.”

Communist runs second in a Randwick trial on September 22

Michael Freedman on Manaal (race 2): “She’s got plenty of upside, she seems to have improved nicely out of her trial and she has a nice soft draw. No doubt there will be plenty of speed on so she will be able to find a nice spot and get her into some galloping room and see what she can do. Tommy (Berry) went back down onto the fence to let her improve and I think she was a little field shy down on the fence. That’s all just part of the learning experience but I thought she finished off in good style.”

On Highness (race 3): “He seems to have trained on quite well from his trial. There’s quite a few variables in terms of where you end up in the run, with every horse having their first start, but he’s done enough to say he will run a creditable race. He probably surprised me a bit in how much speed he showed out of the gates. But that was a nice surprise and hopefully that can help him find a good spot.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting