Group 1 dreams for Freedman’s Pushy
Pushy, the promising three-year-old, continued his unbeaten streak after securing a comfortable victory at Newcastle on Friday, much to the delight of trainer Michael Freedman.
Sired by Little Avondale Stud stallion Time Test, Pushy entered the race as the -125 favourite and didn’t disappoint, winning by almost four lengths under jockey Jason Collett.
Freedman sees significant potential in Pushy and believes the young horse has room for improvement. He’s considering various options for Pushy, including longer distances.
Freedman stated, “The point of the exercise today was to give him a try at the mile and see how he coped with it.
“So long as he pulls up okay, we will probably head towards a race like the Dulcify (Listed, 1600m) at Randwick in two weeks’ time and if he is holding good form we could look at maybe the Gloaming Stakes (Group 3, 1800m) and Spring Champion Stakes (Group 1, 2000m).”
Pushy has been steadily progressing through his grades, having previously won on debut at Kembla Grange over 1200m and then again at Newcastle over 1400m before his latest victory.
Freedman praised Pushy’s temperament, describing him as laid-back and gentle.
He added, “He really doesn’t set the world on fire at home in any shape or form. It is only really when he comes out of the gates that you start to get a bit of an idea of the ability that he has got.”
The trainer believes in taking a patient approach with young staying horses, gradually building their experience on provincial tracks before advancing to more challenging city races.
He emphasised, “There is so much time with those horses in terms of getting them in good races in town, but I don’t feel there is any need to put them in the pressure cooker too early.”
Pushy, purchased by Michael Wallace for $60,000 as a yearling at Karaka, is out of the Anabaa mare Angel Child. He comes from a strong racing lineage, with notable relatives like Soleil Rouge, Group One winner Manzoice, and Hong Kong sprinter All Thrills Too in the family tree.
Freedman and Wallace, who have a longstanding relationship, relied on Wallace’s expertise when selecting Pushy.
Freedman shared, “Michael did the book and not that we were shopping for anything in particular, but I said if you see some good types by stallions we can tolerate, put them forward… We bought another Time Test at the same sale that Michael also liked that is having his first start here on the weekend called Panic.”