Trainer Danny O’Brien will not hear of the lack of race experience counting against Closer To Free when he lines up in Victoria’s premier two-year-old race at Caulfield.
Closer To Free won his way into Saturday’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield off the back of a debut victory in a Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) on February 7.
That victory came after O’Brien purchased the colt following a Caulfield Heath barrier trial win nine days prior when in the care of Adrian Corboy.
O’Brien has seen improvement from Closer To Free post his debut win and is not concerned with the colt racing for just the second time on Saturday.
Last year’s Blue Diamond winner Devil Night was successful at his second start after finishing second in the Prelude two weeks prior.
“The narrative around his trial was that he was wound up, but Adrian told me he was three or four weeks behind with him because he got cast in his box over Christmas and he missed a couple of weeks work,” O’Brien said.
“When he came to the trials here, he said there was a lot of improvement in the horse and when I saw him in the yard before the Prelude I thought ‘he’s right, you might need another gallop’, but he came out of it really well and will be finding a couple of lengths on Saturday on top of what he’s already shown.”
O’Brien said he was unconcerned by the lack of race experience Closer To Free has had ahead of Saturday’s outing.
“The profile of these two-year-old races has changed over the last 15 or 20 years,” O’Brien said.
“The two-year-olds are not having as many starts as they used to before Christmas and ultimately, they get one or two post-Christmas before running in the Blue Diamond and even the Golden Slipper.
“I don’t think that is a disadvantage. I know when Star Witness won it, it was only his third race start, one start in December, one start in January, and then into to the Diamond.”
O’Brien pointed to the changing nature of breed in Australia, adding there was not the same aggression in trying to get horses to the races as quickly as before.
“When I first started in racing, there probably wasn’t the number of shuttle stallions standing,” O’Brien said.
“It was more the colonials, they were a bit hardier, a bit more get up get going early, whereas nearly every stallion in Australia now has some form of shuttle blood.
“There has been a gradual shift, so I don’t think there is any disadvantage and he has been very well educated and we can thank Adrian for that.
“He’s got a very natural brain and there will be no horse that will handle the parade better than him.
“He’s so relaxed.”
