Shoals Surprises Freedman In Trial As Everest Pressure Mounts
Three-time Group 1 winner Shoals took part in an 800m trial at Cranbourne alongside stablemate and fellow Everest runner Santa Ana Lane and finished a close second.
Santa Ana Lane wasn’t asked for anything by regular rider Ben Melham and beat one home.
Assistant trainer Sam Freedman said it was the first time the pair had left their Mornington base for the campaign so instructions were to have a quiet trial.
But he was taken aback by how forward Shoals trialled as she was nosed out by Ardrossan.
Defending champ Redzel kicked off his campaign with an easy second in an 800m trial at Gosford on Monday shortly after the two Victorians had trialled.
Shoals, who will be ridden by Tim Clark in The Everest, hasn’t raced since she won the Gr.1 Robert Sangster Stakes where she made it three majors for the season.
Stradbroke winner Santa Ana Lane, who will have two runs prior to The Everest, also collected his third Group 1 for last season when he claimed Brisbane’s signature race on June 9.
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar; ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com