Godolphin star keeps raising the bar
Colette confirmed herself as Australia’s latest weight-for-age star by dominating the Apollo Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
The Apollo Stakes is a good horse’s race with a winners list including Emancipation, Beau Zam, Red Anchor, Naturalism, Sunline, Lonhro and the mighty Winx.
While not in that category yet, she proved she wasn’t just a flash in the pan Group 1 winner against her own age, never to be seen again.
That has happened to plenty of fillies that have won the ATC Oaks.
Colette also won the Golden Eagle last spring and Saturday’s win confirmed she was the real deal.
Trainer James Cummings knew how significant the first-up win was for the stayer.
“She was coming up against Kolding, Verry Elleegant, Funstar, they are pretty good horses,” Cummings said.
“She’s the horse that is really improving from one prep to the next. Don’t forget she got all the way to the Oaks in one campaign and she is only first up in her third campaign.”
Colette firmed in from $8 to $4.450 for the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) in a fortnight and $8 to $6 for the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill next month.
That is the race Cummings has set her for since she returned from a spell.
One punter was sweating as they watched Verry Ellegant run into third late in the Apollo after placing $20,000 on her at $1.26 to place.
The Caulfield Cup winner missed the start in a slowly run race on Saturday and her loss was a complete forgive.
She was the best through the line and is no doubt set for a big autumn.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s Country Championships meeting at Nowra was transferred to Goulburn on Tuesday due to the state of the track which was rain affected.
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Will Freedman knew he wouldn’t be treated like any other young, budding trainer when he took out his license.
He was expected to be a winner like the rest of his family which isn’t an easy expectation to cope with early on.
There’s no doubt that Birdonawinningpost won’t be the best horse he ever trains but will be one that he’ll always remember as his first winner in town on a Saturday.
Freedman was relieved to get that first win in the city even if it was a Highway race.
He said the Freedman name brought positives and negatives but on the whole he’s happy to be one.
“I have felt the pressure that comes with the name,” he said.
“I can’t complain about the pressure though because it comes with a lot of advantages.
“I probably wouldn’t have got Birdonawinningpost if I didn’t have the family name, unfortunately.
“I was elated and relieved because there’s pressure involved.”
It was a big day for the Freedman men at Randwick yesterday as father Richard and uncle Michael unearthed a genuine Golden Slipper contender in Stay Inside.
Will said his Highway win felt just like a Slipper triumph and he wants to be coming to Sydney more often from his Scone base and he’s saddled up four winners this month.
“I’m quite content with where I am now and it’s just about building up towards something of my own, that was always the plan,” he said.
“I talk to him (Richard) about training pretty much every day so I’ve got a good network of knowledge to help me along.”
And with the Country Championships being wide open this year Freedman might get the opportunity to bring a horse to The Championships in April.
He’s not declaring anything but will give a few runners the chance to race in the rich series.
“I’m got some horses that are eligible and some that are not,” he said.
“I’ve got a couple that are coming through but they’ve got to win one on the way through.
“Little White Lies would be the one most likely and Highest Standard, the one that ran on Friday, is a chance if he can get a win in the next couple of weeks.”
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David Pfieffer is fully recovered from celebrations after Rocketing By’s $1 million Inglis Sprint triumph last weekend.
“The owners were dustier than I was,” he said.
The $22,000 So You Think colt heads to Melbourne on Wednesday week and contests the Inglis Dash on February 27.
“He’ll then come back to Sydney and we’ll look at the Arrowfield,” Pfieffer said.
Rocketing By’s two recent Sydney wins have come after being held up in the straight which has proved to be a blessing.
“It probably did help him,” Pfieffer said.
“He’s a solid sprinter and I think 1200m sees him out but at some stage we’ll have to test him over 1400m because he’s by So You Think and the way he’s raced suggest he’ll get 1400m.”
RUN OF THE DAY
Just when you think the Golden Slipper picture was taking shape you have to sit back and have another think after Stay Inside won on Saturday.
At his debut Stay Inside appeared a good prospect but his win in the Pierro Plate went to a new level when he beat up what looked a competitive field with arrogance.
All eyes will be on him next time when he gets his chance to say he is the real deal.
FORGET THEY RAN
Not everything went entirely right for Tricky Gal and Never Talk in their respective races and if you want to pull things completely apart you can make a case that both should have gone close to winning.
THE BLACK BOOK
It’s difficult to be confident making cases of horses to follow off a wet track as horses can improve back to the dry but Elizabeel did enough to suggest she will be competitive in the fillies 3yo series which appears wide open.
RIDE OF THE DAY
The experience of Grant Buckley was on show with a perfect ride on Birdonthefence winning the Tab Highway giving Will Freedman his first city winner. Grant doesn’t ride much on the Saturday meetings in town these days but he produced a pearler on this mare.
Originally published asColette shows she’s the real deal with Apollo win
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