Michael Freedman is not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so when top jockey James McDonald put his hand up to ride Stay Inside, Freedman snapped him up.
McDonald has yet to lock himself into a Golden Slipper mount and Freedman was happy to let him test Stay Inside as a potential candidate.
The pair will link in the Pierro Plate (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday when Stay Inside strives to take his record to two wins from as many starts.
“We were just chatting one morning and he didn’t think he would have a ride in that race on Saturday and he certainly hasn’t locked in anything as far as the big two-year-old races go,” Freedman said of McDonald.
“I think he was keen to try to get himself on and have a feel and maybe have that as one of his several options.”
Stay Inside performed well in two trials and Freedman was anticipating a bold showing when he made his debut at Randwick last month.
But the son of first season sire Extreme Choice exceeded expectations, posting a dominant win to put himself into 2021 Golden Slipper calculations.
Freedman, who trains in partnership with his brother Richard, says Stay Inside’s performance on Saturday will give them a better idea of whether the youngster is a genuine contender for the world’s richest juvenile race.
“On Saturday we will get a better idea of where we sit with him,” Freedman said.
Punters expect Stay Inside to win again and he is a clear-cut $2.70 favourite in early TAB fixed odds markets.
His rivals include the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained pair of Kalashnikov and King Of Sparta, who have both shown promise.
Kalashnikov was beaten in two early-season runs but has been trialling well, while King Of Sparta was run down late by exciting youngster Hilal at his only start.
