Northerly Stakes Could Be a War of Attrition

Group 1 winner Attrition is primed for another tilt at top-level glory in Saturday’s $1.5 million TABtouch-Northerly Stakes (1800m) at Ascot, says trainer Mitchell Freedman. The five-year-old heads into the prestigious event after a fourth-place finish in the Five Diamonds (1800m) at Rosehill last month, following his career-best win in the $2 million Hill Stakes (1900m) at the same track. Freedman expressed confidence in his star galloper’s preparation, highlighting his smooth transition to Perth. “He’s great,” Freedman told TABradio. “We took him to Lark Hill this morning for a light stretch, and he worked really well. He’ll head to the beach tomorrow morning as part of his recovery. Everything seems to be in order for Saturday.” Attrition’s recent trial at Belmont saw him finish at the rear of the field, five lengths behind Ripcord, but Freedman found positives in the hit-out. “We were very happy with what we saw in that trial and everything since,” he said. “He was looking for more ground than those horses.” The son of Churchill, who claimed his maiden Group 1 win in last year’s Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield, where he defeated fellow Group 1 winners Antino (Redwood) and Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni) – she won the Northerly in 2022 – will line up for his sixth start of this campaign. Freedman is optimistic about extending Attrition’s preparation, citing his strong last-start performance as a deciding factor. “We had it in the back of our minds that if he was in suitable condition, we’d push on. He’s shown he can handle a month between runs and still perform. I think he’s in terrific order and ready to produce his best on Saturday.”

Attrition (inside) won the Gr1 Toorak (pic: Mark Gatt)