Lightly raced three-year-old Decorum has made it three wins from four starts to potentially put himself on a path to the Group One Rosehill Guineas.
Starting a $1.65 favourite, the Michael Freedman-trained colt followed a first-up victory at Warwick Farm earlier this month with a gritty success in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1600m) at the same venue on Wednesday, reeling in Lancelot Du Lac ($2.80) by a half-length.
A full brother to 2024 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland, Decorum is showing an appreciation for longer journeys than his sprinter sibling, but according to winning jockey Tommy Berry, he possesses similar promise.
“I just can’t wait to get him to 2000 (metres). He feels like he’s looking for that sort of ground,” Berry said.
“There is definitely a good race in him. I’m just not sure which one it is.”
Decorum holds autumn carnival nominations for several feature races, including the Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas.
Spring Champion Stakes winner Attica, who resumes in Saturday’s Hobartville Stakes at Randwick, is among the leading fancies for both, and Berry can see similarities between that horse and Decorum.
In fact, Attica only narrowly downed Decorum when the pair made their respective debuts in the same race at Warwick Farm last year before the former progressed to claim his Group 1 three starts later.
“Not that I’ve ridden Attica, but I’ve seen plenty of him, he reminds me a little bit of him a ‘prep’ ago, so he’s a prep behind him,” Berry said.
“He’s one of those horses, he’s a real working class horse and when the penny drops, which probably won’t be until the spring, he’s just going to keep going the way he’s going.
“The Randwick Guineas might be a little bit sharp for him, but you’ve probably got to go there on your way to a Rosehill Guineas.”
While Decorum produced arguably the best win of the afternoon, it was Nash Rawiller who took riding honours with a treble in the opening three races.
He got the job done on late pick-up ride Satirically for Tulloch Lodge in the first event before adding victories aboard the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Wolf Gap and Straand Beauty for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
