When it comes to improving three-year-old Beskar, trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman have learned less is more and it’s reaping dividends on the racetrack.
The gelding made it back-to-back wins when leading all the way in Saturday’s Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick, opening the door for a possible winter carnival tilt in Queensland.
It followed an upset victory in the Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) last start when Beskar returned to his best after a below par spring.
“He’s become genuine, this horse,” Anthony Freedman said.
“He has always shown us really good ability. He just lost his way and needed gelding, and we’ve changed up a lot with him. We hardly work him, and it’s working for him.
“He can sustain a long gallop. It opens up some options for him at 1400 now.”
Allowed to bowl by Damian Lane, Beskar ($5.50) gave a good kick in the straight with eventual runner-up Mareth ($13) his only danger, the filly trying hard but just failing to reel in her rival by a short head.
Regal Award ($1.90) did best of the rest, another 1-1/4 lengths away.
Freedman said they hadn’t planned to lead but once the horse jumped well, Lane worked with him.
“He’s a horse where, the more you tell him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he tends to work against you,” Lane said.
“When he was free flowing I just went with him and lucky he held on.”
Beskar is now likely to target some of the three-year-old features in Brisbane given Saturday’s race was just the third of his preparation.
“He is pretty lightly raced, and he handles this direction so that’s probably the logical step,” Freedman said.
