It has been billed as a vital Golden Slipper preview but trainer Michael Freedman won’t be disappointed if Stay Inside loses his unbeaten tag in the Todman Stakes at Randwick.
The youngster is one of three boom colts lining up in the Group Two race, along with dominant Inglis Millennium winner Profiteer and Hawkes Racing’s Remarque.
The trio are all unbeaten and sit atop Golden Slipper markets, their clash on Saturday expected to determine favouritism for the $3.5 million race.
However, the scratching of Rocket Tiger, who will instead contest the Black Opal Stakes in Canberra on Sunday, has left a field of just eight and Freedman warns the Todman Stakes (1200m) will be a vastly different type of race compared to the pressure of a Slipper.
Stay Inside will also have to contend with a wide draw and while Freedman is going to the races to win, he says Saturday’s result won’t be the be-all, end-all from a Slipper perspective.
“The draw isn’t much good, eight of nine and with the other favoured runners drawing one and two, it makes it a tough assignment,” Freedman said.
“The main event is two weeks after Saturday and it’s a very different type of race. There will be more runners and barriers again play a big role there.
“While I think this will probably be a strong formline towards the Slipper, if my bloke can put in a good performance and say he’s still on track for it, that would be good enough for me.”
While the three unbeaten colts have dominated pre-race discussions, the Todman field also boasts depth.
Blue Diamond Stakes placegetter Anamoe has shown tremendous promise in four Melbourne starts and makes his Sydney debut for Godolphin, while last-start winner Home Affairs and Magic Millions runner-up Alpine Edge also present with claims.