Cannonball has fulfilled an early important target by taking out a stakes race at Caulfield.
The two-year-old son of Capitalist got some important black type for a potential future as a stallion when taking out the Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes (1100m) on Saturday.
Despite being a little wayward under Brett Prebble up the Caulfield straight, Cannonball ($4.80) scored by three-quarters-of-a-length from debutant Eye Of The Eagle ($7.50) with Port Albert ($7.50) running on for third, a further 1-½ lengths away.
Cannonball has always shown trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman potential with the pair happy with the colt’s first campaign.
Sam Freedman said the stable took Cannonball to Sydney to contest the Golden Gift, but the colt over-raced in the blinkers.
Given a break after two spring runs, Freedman said that was the best thing the stable could have done.
“He’s a full brother to Marine One who’s improved from his late two-year-old into his three-year-old season and this colt gives us the impression his next campaign will be his best,” Freedman said.
“He was there to be beaten today and we still think he might be best ridden with a sit, but he showed good fight and he had a shy of the winning post at the end there.”
With a Listed win now on his page, the next task for the Freedman stable is to and increase his value with success at a higher level.
Prebble partnered Cannonball for the first time under race conditions on Saturday but made a trip out to Caulfield on Tuesday morning to ride the colt in a gallop.
“I knew there would have to be a good one that would need to step up to beat him,” Prebble said.
“I hadn’t really taken much notice of the field until later in the week but what I felt Tuesday morning, he gave me the feeling he was a stakes class horse.
“He’s going to progress through the grades, and he’s already taken a big step today.”
