Anthony and Sam Freedman are hoping Tom Kitten can bounce back in style when he lines up in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
The colt resumed in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13, finishing fifth in a race that lacked tempo and exposed his tendency to over-race.
This week, with noted frontrunner Pride Of Jenni engaged, connections are confident the speed will be genuine and give Tom Kitten the chance to settle into his rhythm.
Sam Freedman said there wasn’t a lot to learn from his first-up run apart from the fact his behaviour at the barriers had improved.
He had earlier missed the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) on August 30 when he played up and was withdrawn at the gates.
“He began really well out of the gates if you want to take something positive out of the experience first-up,” Freedman said.
“He was very fresh for the first half, and it probably told at the finish. He pulled too hard, but all the same he pulled up well and had a nice blow.
“Coming to the Feehan, it will be a different race shape to what he was coming out of, so we felt the need to step his training up and be quite hard on him between runs.
“It’s a tricky dynamic when you’re coming out of a slowly run race to one where they go flat out.
“Pride Of Jenni being in a race, you need to be rock hard fit, so he’s had a couple of searching gallops between runs and he’ll be in the firing line on Friday night.”
Tom Kitten also had a look around Moonee Valley earlier in the week, handling the circuit with no concerns according to his trainer.
Freedman is optimistic the colt’s spring campaign can now gather momentum, with the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) on October 25 still firmly in play following second declarations.
“That (race at Flemington) was our Memsie run, clearing the cobwebs, and hopefully now we can have a clear run through,” Freedman said.
“You chase your tail a little bit, but hopefully he’s on the right leg and he can make an impact.”
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