Blue Diamond winner Artorius will take the first step towards the Caulfield Guineas on Saturday in the H.D.F McNeil Stakes.
The Team Freedman colt has the class on his side and that is a big reason why punters are gravitating towards him. $6 was first put up and he’s been crunched, now into $3.
The three-year-old, whose two trials leading up to this first-up run, was ridden quietly by Luke Currie on a heavy 9 surface at Cranbourne when finishing second last in the run and then went to Flemington and put in a nice piece of work.
Freedman racing manager Brad Taylor provided an update on their colt heading into Saturday.
“He’s super, his trial on Friday at Flemington was very good and Luke came in and galloped again on (Wednesday) morning and he was very happy,” Taylor said on SEN Track’s Bensley.
“He heads into the race in good order, he’s forward enough to run a really good race but obviously you’ve got to protect them now that he’s going to be a stallion.
“He’s forward enough to win the race and obviously the danger of General Beau and that are going to go forward and be on speed and he’s going to be out the back.
“He’s the class horse of the field, he’s got top weight for a reason, and we think he’s returned in really good order.
“Don’t read anything into his trial at Cranbourne, wet track and he’s just a horse that when you ask him to do nothing, he’ll do nothing.”
General Beau, for Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, is the second favourite at $3.40.
