The prestigious Coolmore Stud Stakes, held at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival, is a significant target for connections of a promising three-year-old.
Trainer Danny O’Brien and the ownership group of Closer To Free share this ambition. Should the colt’s performances align with expectations, the Group 1 race, contested over 1200 metres on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup week, is their desired destination.
Closer To Free demonstrated remarkable talent in three outings during a short two-year-old autumn campaign. He commences his three-year-old season in the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield this Saturday.
“It looks the right kick-off for him,” O’Brien commented.
“He won over the course and distance in the autumn in the Blue Diamond Prelude and he’s had a good build-up over the winter. He’s had a quiet trial and then they ran a pretty quick time down the straight in his second one and he should be forward enough to run well first-up.”
Closer To Free secured an impressive debut victory on February 7, followed by a second-place finish in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield two weeks later.
His two-year-old season concluded with a second-last placing in the Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill the subsequent month.
“Like all these horses, you want to see where they are at with their first run or two,” O’Brien stated.
“If everything fell into place, you would love to think that he would get to the Coolmore, but he has to put his hand up to show us that he’s made that progression. The main thing is have they got the improvement in them from two to three to still be at the top level. All the signs are good. He’s a beautiful colt and done everything right and I’m looking forward to running him again.”
Closer To Free’s second trial before his first-up run on Saturday took place over 800 metres down the straight at Flemington on August 3.
O’Brien indicated that, circumstances permitting, Closer To Free would participate in the Group 3 Poseidon Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on September 12. This would provide him with crucial race experience on the straight track leading up to the Coolmore Stud Stakes.
“He’s had a trial down the straight so if we decide to go down that straight track path, he’s had some experience,” O’Brien explained. “There’s a race there on Makybe Diva Stakes Day that may suit, and then he’ll have race experience before the Coolmore if we head there.”
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