Kuro was included in the 2015 McEwen Stakes nominations that were released yesterday, but co-trainer Lee Freedman has revealed that the talented entire is no certainty to return to the races in the Group 2 event at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Kuro remains a chance to return to the races in the 2015 McEwen Stakes at Caulfield this weekend. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Kuro has not been seen at the races since he finished a close third behind Ball Of Muscle in the Group 2 QTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 30, but he made his first public appearance for Team Freedman when he recorded a win in a jump out over 800 metres at Flemington last Friday morning.
Freedman told Racing.com that he was happy with the jump out performance of Kuro, but he will wait until he sees how the Denman entire performs at track work at Moonee Valley this morning before he decides whether to run the four-year-old in the 2015 McEwen Stakes.
“He is coming along really well,” Freedman said.
“He trialed here last Friday and he went really well and we will probably take him to the Valley tomorrow morning and give him a bit of work.
“Depending on how he comes through that work we may or may not run him in the McEwen this Saturday over 1000 metres.
“I am very happy with him, but he is a pretty gross little horse and he needed the trial on Friday.
“We will just see whether he is forward enough and being an entire we want to protect his reputation a bit too.
“He is a pretty interesting young horse.”
Kuro stamped himself as a horse to follow when he recorded four straight wins in Sydney during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival before he finished third behind Brazen Beau and Delectation in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 1.
He started his autumn campaign with an upset loss in the Listed Fireball Stakes (1100m) at Royal Randwick on March 7 before he returned to Group 1 level with a second place finish behind Sweet Idea in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 21.
Kuro failed to fire in the Group 2 Arrowfield Sprint (1200m) at Royal Randwick on April 11, but he returned to winning form in the Listed Mick Dittman Plate (1200m) at Doomben on May 9 before he was sent to the spelling paddock following his QTC Cup defeat.
Team Freedman acquired Kuro at the end of the autumn campaign and races like the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on October 10 and the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1100m) at the same venue a week later are both on the agenda for the entire.
