Sam Freedman is happy Saturday’s Next Generations Sprinters Series Final at Flemington does not have the depth he expected it to possess but, oddly, that might make the $150,000 event is harder to win.
I Found You Freedman-trained duo Earth God and Golden Warrior will have Sydney blueblood I Found You to contend with in the 1200-metre event.
A stunning debut winner at Randwick last month, I Found You was an acceptor in both Melbourne and Sydney and co-trainers Peter and Paul Snowden have opted for Flemington as the more winnable option.
Freedman concedes the I Am Invincible half-sister to Shooting To Win and Deep Field presents a formidable foe, but said his pair will be there to capitalise if I Found You is not at the top of her game.
“The Snowden horse looks pretty handy, it looks the one to beat, but both of ours won well last start,” Freedman, who trains in partnership with his father Anthony, said.
“I thought it was going to come up a bit stronger than it did, but it looks like they’ve found their right race.”
The Freedman pair and I Found You are among eight runners in the Next Generations Sprinters Series Final, joined by four others who are yet to place and Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman -trained first-starter Aldolfito.
Earth God is considered the biggest danger to I Found You after a dominant on-pace win over 1212m last-start at Geelong, which followed an 1100m third placing at Caulfield on debut.
“If he wants to put his hand up he’ll put it up, because he has got the ability,” Freedman said.
“Initially we weren’t going to run him down the straight because I thought it could bring him undone and he’d just get lost, and he still might, but he worked very well on Tuesday.
“If he takes that to the races, he’ll be hard to beat.”
Golden Warrior was also beaten on debut but has won his two subsequent outings, in a 1200m Ballarat synthetic maiden ahead of victory in a 1400m opening two-year-old handicap at Sandown.
“He won at 1400 but probably wasn’t really strong on the line so we’re happy to come back in trip with him,” Freedman said.
John Allen has been aboard for Golden Warrior’s two wins and retains the ride, from barrier eight, at Flemington with Earth God and Jye Mcneil to start from gate five.
