Tom Kitten was a Group 1 winner when Godolphin made the tough call to geld him, and not only did his subsequent success justify the decision, but it also provided a handy template.
Jason Walsh, racing and bloodstock manager for Godolphin, revealed their experience with the two-time All-Star Mile victor gave them confidence to follow the same path with the Joe Pride-trained Attica, who like Tom Kitten was a colt when he won the Spring Champion Stakes but reached a career crossroads when he struggled to replicate that form in the autumn.
“It’s an interesting comparison,” Walsh said.
“We took the decision to geld him (Attica) in the hope he’d make into a Tom Kitten, a subsequent weight-for-age gelding hopefully winning more Group Ones along the way. He’s obviously got that yet to do.
“They’re hard decisions for our operation to geld Group One winners.
“But from the day he’s come in this time as a gelding, Joe has said he carries himself differently. He’s sharper. He’s trialled like that, and he’s jumping from the machines better.”
Such are the parallels between the pair, Tom Kitten and Attica have been targeted at the same race – Saturday’s Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
The former will be looking to bounce back from two unplaced runs in Melbourne where Walsh says he’s had genuine excuses, while Attica arrives with some strong form references.
Despite not being fully focused on racing at his last campaign, he finished third behind Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) over the Epsom course and distance, and has been building nicely in two recent runs, the latest an eye-catching third in the Tramway Stakes (1400m).
Attica also gets in nicely at the weights with just 51.5kg.
“He’s got the perfect profile to show up with that sort of weight here,” Walsh said.
“His form around Autumn Boy, who’s race favourite, is pretty good, and he’s got enough weight differential to say we’re looking forward to competing from a good draw.”
In a show of intent, Pride has put blinkers back on Attica, who was reacquainted with them in a recent barrier trial with race jockey Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle.
“They’re on. Joe was keen to trial him and give Kerrin the chance to feel him in them, and both came away from that morning very pleased,” Walsh said.
“He probably needs a little bit of help when the pressure goes on in a race to find top gear as quick as he can. But he’s won some very big races in them in the past, he comes back as a gelding, and we’ve set him up with this race in mind.”
Godolphin has captured two of the past 10 renewals of the Epsom with Hartnell (2018) and Hauraki (2016).
