The Coolmore Stud Stakes, a feature event at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup carnival, is a significant aspiration for connections of a promising three-year-old colt.

Trainer Danny O’Brien and the ownership group of Closer To Free share this ambition. If the colt’s performances align, the Group 1 race for three-year-olds over 1200 metres on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup week is their primary target.

Closer To Free displayed exceptional ability across three starts during a brief two-year-old autumn campaign and is set to launch his three-year-old season in the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

“It looks the right kick-off for him,” O’Brien said.

“He won over the course and distance in the autumn in the Blue Diamond Prelude and he’s had a good build-up over the winter. He’s had a quiet trial and then they ran a pretty quick time down the straight in his second one and he should be forward enough to run well first-up.”

Closer To Free recorded an impressive debut win on February 7, before finishing second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield two weeks later.

The colt then concluded his two-year-old season by finishing second last in the Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill the following month.

“Like all these horses, you want to see where they are at with their first run or two,” O’Brien stated.

“If everything fell into place, you would love to think that he would get to the Coolmore, but he has to put his hand up to show us that he’s made that progression. The main thing is have they got the improvement in them from two to three to still be at the top level. All the signs are good. He’s a beautiful colt and done everything right and I’m looking forward to running him again.”

Closer To Free’s second trial in preparation for his Saturday first-up run was over 800 metres down the straight at Flemington on August 3.

O’Brien indicated that, all things being equal, Closer To Free would compete in the Group 3 Poseidon Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on September 12. This would afford him necessary race experience on the straight track in the lead-up to the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

“He’s had a trial down the straight so if we decide to go down that straight track path, he’s had some experience,” O’Brien explained. “There’s a race there on Makybe Diva Stakes Day that may suit, and then he’ll have race experience before the Coolmore if we head there.”

Looking for a place to bet on the Coolmore Stud Stakes? Explore the racing odds available at betting sites.