Sam Freedman expects to get a better idea of what Royal Champion’s initial Australian campaign will look like on Tuesday morning.
The imported gelding will trial at Deagon, which will be his second trial of the campaign following a second placing over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on April 30.
Royal Champion is among the entries for Saturday week’s $1 million Doomben Cup (2000m), but he is no guarantee to run there with Freedman and his father Anthony thinking about using a path they plotted with success last year.
“He’s going to be a really nice horse, he needs firm ground, so we probably need the weather to pick up up there and the tracks to dry out,” Freedman told RSN927 on Monday morning.
“He’s down to trial at Deagon tomorrow, Mark Zahra is making his way up there I believe…but he might not go to the Doomben Cup, he might well go to the Lord Mayor’s (Cup), the 1800 (metre race) that Without A Fight won last year.
“But, either way, whatever you see, I think for the spring he’ll be one to follow on top of the ground.”
The $200,000 Group 3 Lord Mayor’s Cup will be run at Eagle Farm on June 1.
The Freedmans won last year’s Lord Mayor’s Cup with Without A Fight, who then won the $1.2m The Q22 (2200m).
Without A Fight bounced out of that campaign to become the first horse in 22 years to complete the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double last spring.
Royal Champion will spot the same colours as Without A Fight, also being owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum.
A son of Shamardal, Royal Champion has won four of 13 starts, including the Listed Wolferton Stakes (2011m) at Royal Ascot last June.
His two subsequent runs produced a third placing in the Group 2 York Stakes (2112m) before a trip to the runner-up stall in the Group 1 Canadian International (2012m) at Woodbine.
“I think the Cox Plate would be a lovely target for him if he’s showing himself to be good enough,” Freedman said.
