Michael Freedman believes it is time for a rethink of the rules around set weights and penalties races after the Brad Widdup-trained Icebath was “pitchforked” into the Guy Walter Stakes at Randwick.
Freedman is a big fan of the introduction of rich new races such as The Everest, Golden Eagle and The Invitation, but they haven’t been around long enough to establish black-type status, so horses who win them are ineligible to be penalised if they come back to a set weights and penalties event.
As a result, Icebath, who is yet to capture a stakes race but has been twice Group 1 placed and is a winner of the inaugural The Invitation, has been handicapped on just 54kg for Saturday’s Guy Walter Stakes (1400m).
She received five kilos less than topweight Shout The Bar, a dual Group 1-winning three-year-old who hasn’t won a race for 15 months, and four kilos less than the Freedman-trained Forbidden Love, whose elite win was in three-year-old fillies’ company.
“Icebath, who has run second in a Doncaster, second in a Golden Eagle and won a $2 million Invitation last year, gets four kilos in weight off Forbidden Love because she’s not a Group One winner,” Freedman said.
“That is something that needs looking at because theoretically, a horse could go and win The Everest, which is arguably rated the best sprint race in the world, but because it’s not rated as a Group One, they wouldn’t receive a penalty in the set weights and penalties races.
“It’s good that they are (introducing new races) but these set weights and penalties races, they have got to be looked at because in terms of weights and measures, you’d think Icebath is pitchforked into that race on Saturday.”
Punters agree and Icebath is a clear-cut $2.30 favourite to break her black-type hoodoo.
Forbidden Love is a $5.50 chance and were it not for the weight anomaly, Freedman would have been heading to Randwick with some confidence.
The mare won the Surround Stakes over the same course and distance at the corresponding meeting last year, relishes wet ground and put the writing on the wall with a strong return in the Expressway Stakes last month.
“She is in great order. I was very happy with her gallop on Tuesday and she seems to be maintaining good form,” he said.
All being well, Forbidden Love is being aimed towards the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill in a fortnight.