Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer Michael Freedman says beating the handicapper and securing the defending champion jockey is a great formula for success for Forbidden Love in Saturday’s Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

Trainer Michael Freedman

It seems inconceivable that a three-time Group 1 winner could get into a major handicap race like the Doncaster with just 50kg but it’s all due to her winning hat-trick coming after weights were released.

Forbidden Love was rated 104 when she was allocated 50kg, which is in line with a 100 rated male horse due to the allowance for mares, but after she won the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes and the Group 1 Canterbury and George Ryder Stakes her rating rose to 115.

But because of the set weights and penalties (Guy Walter) and weight-for-age conditions the handicapper hasn’t had an opportunity to penalise the mare.

“She’s got in with a nice weight considering her past two or three performances,’’ Freedman, whose training partnership with brother Richard ends this week, said.

“She’s come back from a good spell and she’s gone to another level.

“The wet tracks around haven’t harmed her in terms of how she’s able to perform but she was probably a little unlucky first-up on a good 3 in the Expressway.”

It’s worth noting that Forbidden Love, who was $4.60 favourite with TAB on Wednesday in Doncaster betting after drawing barrier 14, carried 49.5kg in the Doncaster last year when finishing seventh as a three-year-old.

Jamie Kah, who won her first Doncaster on Cascadian a year ago, was snapped up by Freedman to ride the mare and he says that’s a major asset to have.

“When you get down to the really light weights it gets more and more difficult to find the quality riders,’’ he said.

“To pick up Jamie at that weight, having won the race last year, it’s a good boost.”

Freedman said while she’s yet to win at a mile the four-year-old has shown more than enough in her two attempts to date to say it won’t be an issue, especially if Kah can get her into a similar rhythm that’s taken her to three straight wins this campaign.

She ran third in the Group 1 Empire Rose, beaten half a length, as a spring three-year-old then last year’s Doncaster seventh, beaten 3.6 lengths, was more than a pass mark to her trainer.

“It’s only her third try at a mile but the way she finished off the George Ryder at 1500m suggests she should be right,’’ he said.

“I thought she ran great here in the race last year as a three-year-old, carrying pretty much the same weight, and she probably wasn’t going quite as well.

“There’s going to be others in there that are adept in the wet as well but her form on heavy ground is good.

“Her natural racing pattern is to be forward of midfield, she’s in as good nick as she can be in so we see what pans out from there.”

A year after Annabel Neasham produced Zaaki to run an eye-catching sixth at his local debut in the Doncaster the Warwick Farm trainer has two imports flying the flag in 2022.

Numerian, who worked with Zaaki during the week, returned from a six month break with a closing sixth over 1600m at Flemington two weeks ago and Neasham said a heavy track shouldn’t be a concern.

“He’s got very good form in the wet, he’s got patchy form in Ireland but he beat Sir Dragonet on a wet track,’’ she said.

Forbidden Love wins the George Ryder at Rosehill on March 19

“He was very good first-up at Flemington over the mile so he will strip fitter.”

Laws Of Indices chased Forbidden Love home when third in the George Ryder in an improved performance on his effort behind the same horse in the Canterbury Stakes.

Neasham said that last run was encouraging on a heavy 9 and with 53kg and barrier four there’s a case for him to run well again.

“He’s a horse that would prefer to be on top of the ground but he did show in the George Ryder he can handle the conditions,’’ she said.

“He’ll have every chance with a light-ish weight.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 1 of The Star Championships at Randwick