Shoals has her first start as a 3YO inthe Atlantic Jewel Stakes
Shoals has risen to every challenge so far and the unbeaten filly begins her push towards the Group One Thousand Guineas in a stakes race at Moonee Valley.
The Anthony Freedman-trained Shoals has her first start as a three-year-old in Saturday’s Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) for fillies when she puts her unblemished record on the line after three wins during her juvenile season.
Freedman said Shoals was one of his stable’s main spring carnival hopes.
Her program is expected to include the Thousand Guineas Prelude and then the Group One Thousand Guineas for which she is high up in early betting.
Shoals went from winning a Seymour maiden in mid-February to claiming back-to-back stakes wins.
She took out the Group Three Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Flemington in March before narrowly beating Formality in the Group Two Percy Sykes Stakes in Sydney in April.
Shoals is the highest-rated filly among the Atlantic Jewel Stakes acceptors and has to carry equal top weight of 57.5kg with I’ll Have A Bit in the field of 14.
“I’ve been happy with her and she’s done a lot of work to prepare for it,” Freedman said.
“She is first-up and most of the others aren’t, so they are going to have the advantage and she gets a weight penalty.
“So she’s probably vulnerable on Saturday but I am happy with her.
“I think she can run well. I’ll be rapt if she can win, but if she runs well and doesn’t win I won’t be disappointed.”
The Lindsay Park-trained Sanadaat, a first-up winner at Sandown last month, is the $4.40 early favourite with the Tony McEvoy-trained last-start Moonee Valley winner Roomooz sharing the second line of betting with Shoals at $5.50.
