Forbidden Love gave her rivals a galloping lesson in Saturday’s Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes, scoring consecutive victories on this day after claiming the Surround Stakes 12 months ago.
The Richard & Michael Freedman-trained mare was luckless when resuming in the Expressway Stakes on January 29, splitting Overpass and Anamoe.
Ridden by Hugh Bowman today, the daughter of All Too Hard was bolting heading into the straight and kicked nicely clear, putting a big gap on her rivals to win comfortably.
Promise Of Success made some headway out wide on the track, while Vangelic battled away to run third after leading the field of eight mares.
Forbidden Love puts in another blinder to capture the Group 2 Guy Walter @ProvenTbreds S. at @royalrandwick. By @VineryStud’s All Too Hard, Forbidden Love was sold by @BhimaTBreds to @R1CHARDFREEDMAN for $150,000 at the 2019 Gold Coast @mmsnippets & has won over $1.1 million. pic.twitter.com/Q7feUpWKga
— Aushorse (@Aushorse_TBA) February 26, 2022
“She loves this day and loves a wet track” co-trained Michael Freedman said.
“I’ve got to be honest, I thought at the weights we might have it up against us with Icebath, giving it four kilos, but she is a quality mare. She didn’t have a lot of luck in the spring and I thought her run in the Expressway (Stakes) was terrific first-up this time around.
“If I’m being honest, I was a little bit concerned about the 58kg today on such a heavy track but when I saw the way she travelled into it up the rise and Hughie (Bowman) hadn’t moved on her, I thought, ‘we’re in business here’.”
Forbidden Love is likely to head towards the Coolmore Classic again, but nothing has been set in stone just yet for the quality four-year-old.
Looking further down the line, Freedman suggested that this galloper may not be out of place in The Everest, with her usual rider Tommy Berry putting the thought in his head during the week.
“She had a crack at that last year and again, nothing really panned out for her,” the winning trainer said.
“I’m really keen to give her another crack at that, then maybe see what happens after that and whether we come back here for a Doncaster under handicap conditions or the Queen Of The Turf. We will wait and see but it’s great to see her back in the winner’s circle.
“I know this sounds crazy but Tommy Berry, who was kind enough to gallop her for me on Tuesday morning because he was due to ride her but due to suspension couldn’t, he said on this sort of surface, she wouldn’t be out of place in an Everest when she’s at her best. It’s something to keep in the back of our mind going forward.”
Forbidden Love never really looked like being beaten given how well she travelled in the run, and Hugh Bowman backed up that sentiment.
“As it panned out she got a nice trail behind Vangelic who took me right to inside the 300m mark and she was dominant late this filly,” Bowman said.
“She’s not a big horse but she’s very competitive. She was unlucky not to win the Expressway and the form from that race has stood up really well so onward and upward for this mare into the Coolmore now.”
After today’s victory, Forbidden Love is now $9 for the Coolmore Classic on March 12.
