Following a frustrating spring where they struggled with Tom Kitten, the autumn preparation for the Group 1 victor has started much more promisingly at Caulfield.
The gelding came back from a break to secure the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, providing the father-son duo Anthony and Sam Freedman with relief after numerous issues in the prior campaign.
The five-year-old, formerly under the care of James Cummings for Godolphin, had been withdrawn at the barriers from the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last spring, which disrupted his schedule.
To restore Tom Kitten’s condition, the Freedmans had to invest significant effort into the horse.
This time around, the approach differed, with a steady preparation that yielded success via a composed ride from Craig Williams.
As the $3 favourite, Tom Kitten overtook Feroce ($6) right at the end to win by a short-head, while Veight ($6) finished third, 3-¾ lengths behind.
“Craig and I had a chat before the event, and I really wanted to see him not have a gut buster and not have to circle the whole field and make a long run,” Sam Freedman said.
“You see when they got going, he kept him back, he made his run at the perfect time and it’s great to get the horse back in the winners’ stall.
“When you take on a horse like this that has been to the top of the mountain, there’s always a bit of pressure.
“Ultimately, we felt that he’d been running well in the spring but didn’t get the rub of the green.
“We’re not getting carried away as it is a fair step down from the level that he has been to, but on his times at home and the way he is carrying condition, he can hopefully get to the level he has been at again.”
Freedman noted that Tom Kitten received a different training regimen this campaign and was in better flesh.
He indicated that starting fresh with lighter workloads suited the gelding best.
“We were a victim last prep of missing a run when he was scratched at the gates,” Freedman said.
“We were chasing our tail going to the mile first-up and we were concerned that he was racing too keenly and we had to work to make him settle, which didn’t work.
“He pulled his head off in a sedate tempo in the Makybe Diva and then he gradually got better. He had a fitness run at The Valley, and then he was back on track in Sydney.”
Freedman outlined that Tom Kitten is headed for either the Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 21 or the Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on February 28, paving the way to the All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 7 and possibly the Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 28. Check out the Australian betting sites for the best odds on the Kevin Heffernan Stakes follow-ups.
The post Tom Kitten back in winner’s stall at Caulfield first appeared on Just Horse Racing.