Attrition ‘ticking all the boxes’ for spring return but trainer Mitch Freedman undecided on program

Trainer Mitch Freedman has a spring target in mind for Group 1 winner Attrition but the path there remains unclear.

Trainer Mitch Freedman will be guided by Attrition on a spring launch for the Group 1 winner.

A “hazy goal”, not unlike jumpout conditions at Caulfield on Wednesday, is the $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) in Sydney on November 9, but the road to Rosehill remains unclear.

Attrition will bypass the Group 2 PB Lawrence (1400m) at Caulfield on August 17 with Freedman keen to get at least another jumpout into the 2023 Toorak Handicap winner.

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“He seems to be in great shape, not a colt that’s really heavy so he’s coming to hand quite quickly and ticking all the boxes in our opinion,” Freedman said.

“We haven’t set in stone a return to the races but provided he comes through today he’ll have another jumpout in 10 to 14 days.

“Whether we go to a jumpout again, before returning, that decision will be made as we get further down the line.

“Our ultimate, hazy goal, would be to get towards the Five Diamonds … it would be a good race for him, I think he will run 1800m to 2000m provided we get the work into him.

“We have got a good base in him at the moment so I think this would be the prep we get a crack at those further distances.”

“He seems in great shape.”@Freedmanmitch gives @gilbertgardiner an update on Attrition after his jumpout at Caulfield this morning 👇 pic.twitter.com/GQIpmaTb9N

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) July 31, 2024

Attrition completed an 800m heat on Wednesday at Caulfield, behind a blanket of fog.

“The conditions were not the ideal for watching a jumpout or trackwork, but (jockey) Beau Mertens … knows the horse well and reported he felt good in his action,” Freedman said.

“Sat off the speed and closed it off nicely, it was his first serious piece of work, we weren’t out there to do too much.”

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Attrition has struggled in only two starts since the Toorak.

The Churchill stallion finished last in the Futurity Stakes last February but pulled up with a sprained fetlock.

He contested the Victoria Handicap a month later, beat one home, before Freedman aborted the autumn campaign to give Attrition more time in the paddock.

Trainer Mitch Freedman is keen to get Group 1-winner Attrition back to his best. Picture: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos via Getty Images

“He’s just had a few little setbacks that have meant he hasn’t been quite right on race day, and only come to light after the races with the disappointing performances,” Freedman said.

“Every other thing we’ve seen at home would suggest he’s on track, we obviously want to see it on race day again, and hopefully he can do that in the spring.

“We know the talent is there, we just need to bring that back out of him.”

Freedman has tracked Attrition’s progress, along with other horses in the stable, closer than ever before with a greater emphasis on recovery and performance data.

“It’s something I haven’t done much of in the past but we’ve started to incorporate it over the past six months,” Freedman said.

“It adds another dimension and sometimes there’s things your eye might not pick up and it could, it’s all helpful.

“Similar to walking a track, or any other feedback you get back from riders, it’s all part of the puzzle.”

Originally published as Attrition ‘ticking all the boxes’ for spring return but trainer Mitch Freedman undecided on program