Trainer Anthony Freedman might yet foil the triple crown hopes of Sydney’s brightest three-year-olds despite losing early Randwick Guineas favourite Super Seth with an elevated temperature.
The scratching of the Caulfield Guineas winner on Wednesday still leaves Freedman represented by Warning.
And the stable is confident the Victoria Derby winner Warning can match it with Group One winners Shadow Hero and Castelvecchio over 1600 metres.
Warning drew wide and made ground for seventh first-up in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m), finishing just over a length behind Shadow Hero (fifth) and Castelvecchio (sixth).
Shadow Hero and Castelvecchio shared Randwick Guineas favouritism on Friday at $4.60 while Warning, who will jump from the rails, had firmed to $7.
Freedman’s racing manager Brad Taylor was surprised Warning opened at double-figure odds.
“It is interesting that Castelvecchio and Shadow Hero are so much shorter than him, especially when he ran just as well as them (Hobartville) and he’s going to be probably in front of them this week from the barrier,” Taylor said.
“It definitely wouldn’t surprise us to see him winning over the mile.
“You look at his form last preparation and he was beaten second-up over a mile in a maiden at Sale but he had no blinkers on that day and he’s a different horse with blinkers on.
“He was a pretty dominant winner over 1800 two starts before the Derby. He has got a pretty nice turn of foot on him when needed.”
Warning raced his way through the grades in the spring, culminating in his Victoria Derby triumph on a soft track.
Randwick will be rain-affected on Saturday and was rated in the heavy range on race eve.
While many punters might have Freedman’s three-year-old pigeon-holed as a stayer, Taylor is adamant Warning has more strings to his bow and could be the horse to get the gun Guineas run.
“From barrier one this week, he will be able to position up a whole lot closer like he did in the Derby,” Taylor said.
“Castelvecchio, Shadow Hero, Brandenburg, they are all probably looking for a bit further like Warning is so it’s all going to come down to luck in running.
“Microphone and those horses are going to have to do a bit of work drawn wide, as is Castelvecchio.
“We will be smoking our pipe and doing no work and if he can get the right run through, there is no reason why he can’t put himself right in the finish.”
