Anthony and Sam Freedman are no strangers to winning Victoria’s premier two-year-old race.
The father-and-son training team took out the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield with Artorius in 2021 and then again, the following year with Daumier.
This year they are hoping to get High Alert into the 1200m contest on February 21 and are banking on getting a start with a top two in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
High Alert will be lining up for his second race day appearance having finished fourth in the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield on January 24.
That day, High Alert drew barrier one and was locked away on the fence, eventually copping a check in the straight before rattling home to finish fourth.
Sam Freedman and jockey Luke Currie considered lodging a protest before declining, but importantly High Alert came through the race without a blemish.
Freedman said the colt had actually put on between five and six kilos in the week after the race, the co-trainer concedes High Alert will need luck on his side if he is to make the Blue Diamond field.
“He’s probably going to have to run first two to get into the race I would say,” Freedman said.
“He’s going to be a proper horse in time.
“He put on weight, so it didn’t hurt him at all. He pulled up super and really, he ended up with a dash home.
“Hopefully he gets a bit of even luck, and we can see where he sits, but I don’t know if that’s the ‘A’ grade form.
“We’re always wary of the unlucky horse in a bad race, but he does work like a nice horse, so hopefully he can show it.”
Freedman said what the team took from the performance on debut was High Alert does have a nice turn of foot that in turn can get him out of trouble.
“It was still enough of a run leading to the Blue Diamond,” Freedman said.
“The horse went off next to him in the gates, but that’s why he will be a nice horse, because nothing really fazes him.”
On Saturday, High Alert jumps from gate five in the eight-horse field with Craig Williams in the saddle.
