By Ray Hickson
It may have been a short term plan to aim Prime Star at Saturday’s $1m Bar 83 Bondi Stakes (1600m) but co-trainer Michael Freedman says how he performs will help shape the gelding's future.
There’s the obvious question of whether Prime Star will run out a strong Randwick mile and Freedman said on the evidence of his fast-finishing second in the Stan Fox Stakes at 1500m there’s every reason to think that he will.
“When he ran second to Athiri two starts back I started to think that this would be the right program for him,’’ Freedman said.
“He could get back to set weights against his own age group without having to take on the really sharp colts over the shorter distances.
“This race will help answer a few questions, if he runs out a strong mile it opens up a few opportunities for him in the autumn.
“If he looked like he needed to stick to shorter courses that’d be the way we would go.
"I want to keep an open mind and see how things pan out on the weekend.”
Prime Star, who won the Inglis Millennium as a two-year-old, produced the fastest last 600m (according to Punter's Intelligence sectional data, of the Stan Fox coming from last in the six horse field as he ran Peltzer to half a length.
His 34.32 was almost two lengths faster than the next best and that leads Freedman to believe an extra 100m should be no issue though he’s sure the Bondi will feature more early speed.
He’s a $4.20 chance with TAB in his rematch with Peltzer who was favourite at $2.90 on Thursday.
“I’m hoping he runs well, his form has been good and he seems to have trained on well enough from the Stan Fox,’’ he said.
“Jumping from the 1200m the start before straight to the 1500m it was a good effort under the circumstances.
“The first time at a mile is obviously a question mark but hopefully if he can get a nice run in transit and he can be right in the finish. Now that he has had the run under his belt going up to the mile I think he will run it out.”
It was hard to miss the run of On The Lead in the Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) two weeks ago and Freedman is hoping the Wild Ruler form stands up in the Listed $200,000 AMD Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.
The colt didn't jump the cleanest and settled last in that race before reeling off the fastest individual 200m splits for the final 1000m, including a last 600m of 33.21, but he gave away too much start as he ran into second about two lengths astern of Wild Ruler.
Prime Star runs second at Randwick on October 10
“I think on the way he performed in the Roman Consul, if he can get the right run, it is a good race for him,’’ Freedman said.
A well bred two-year-old called Tiger Of Malay opens the day for the Freedman stable in the Forum Grop Kirkham Plate (1000m).
The son of Extreme Choice ran second at his only trial appearance behind Ghostwriter at Warwick Farm on October 9 and Freedman is upbeat about his future.
“He’s a nice colt, he’s been showing a little bit at home and I was happy with his trial,’’ he said.
All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's meeting at Randwick