Mitch Freedman believes his stable star Attrition will thrive stepping up to 2000 metres for the first time when he tackles a strong edition of the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
“The race has built up nicely over the last month and it’s going to be a good solid race,” Freedman told RSN.
“It should be a great spectacle. Deny Knowledge and Pride Of Jenni will be up the front making the running and it will be interesting to see what the rest of the field do.”
Attrition, a five-year-old entire, heads into Saturday’s race third-up and nearing peak fitness following his runner-up finish in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last start.
“We thought his fitness levels were pretty good coming out of the Blamey, so we’ve just kept him ticking over nicely,” the Ballarat-based trainer said.
“He’s had a few grass gallops, and he’s improved slightly and tightened up a bit, but we were pretty happy with where he is fitness wise, and we haven’t had to do anything too extreme with him.”
Future plans beyond Saturday depend on Attrition’s performance, with Freedman mindful of managing the entire carefully after an extensive spring campaign that included travel to Perth.
“I am mindful after going to Perth off a longish spring that he hadn’t had much time off, so we are keen to give him a bit of a break and relieve the pressure at some point,” he said.
“He does like being in work and he is showing no signs that he has had enough. We’re just mindful of managing the horse, like how Chris Waller manages these types of horse and how he has them hanging around at the top level for a long time.
“That’s always been our aim with him and the team at home have done a good job doing it.”
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