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By Ray Hickson

It was around Everest Day when trainer Michael Freedman cottoned on to the fact Profoundly was a promising staying filly in the making.

Trainer Michael Freedman (Pic: Bradley Photos).

She raced on the undercard, running fourth in the Reginald Allen at Group 3 level over 1400m, and Freedman saw what his brother Lee, the filly’s part owner and former trainer, was telling him.

So it’s not a surprise that given a bit of time Profoundly has burst onto the scene though Freedman didn’t really anticipate she’d land in the Group 1 $1 million Australian Oaks (2400m) with a live chance at Randwick on Saturday.

“We thought she was a staying type, not necessarily an Oaks type, and it was a great run in that 1400m at her first time in Sydney at that level,’’ Freedman said.

“We gave her a bit more time and focused on the autumn with her, hopefully she can continue on that path.

“This will only be her fourth run for the prep, she’s had a really good prep. She won first-up, she was probably a bit stiff second-up in the Kembla Grange Classic.”

Profoundly, $3.40 with TAB on Thursday, will be out to be the first since Colette in 2020 to back up from winning the Adrian Knox and take out the Oaks.

Freedman gave her almost a month between runs following her Kembla Grange placing going into the Oaks so he feels she should have plenty of gas in the tank to tackle the 2400m on the back up.

Whether she is strong at that trip remains to be seen but he’s quietly confident.

“If she ran well enough in the Adrian Knox and came through it well we said we’d give some thought to the Oaks and when she was able to win, and pull up as well as she has, we thought why not,’’ he said.

“They’re only three once and she seems to be in the right form. Obviously the 2400m is another question mark but she gave the indication she would run it out.

“Tommy (Berry) feels as though she will, but we’re all guessing a bit until you try them.

“I thought she won with a bit of authority, especially that last 100m she really looked to be getting away from them."

The Randwick trainer isn’t going to concede the Group 2 $1 million Arrowfield Sprint (1200m) to the star filly Tempted and will send last start Galaxy winner Marhoona and Pallaton into battle.

Marhoona beat Tempted last year when she won the Golden Slipper and Freedman said the toughness she showed in winning three weeks ago will be an ace she has to play at the business end.

“It was only really when she swapped onto her Sydney leg about the 100m or 150m mark you could see her make a late surge,’’ he said.

“She doesn’t like getting beaten often. She’s had a really good two weeks since then, I was happy with her work on Tuesday.

“She’s a Slipper winner, a Galaxy winner now. Two Group 1s from eight starts is a pretty good record.”

The filly has drawn the outside barrier in the Arrowfield and Freedman said it’ll be Zac Lloyd’s job to negotiate that.

“She has reasonable tactical speed so we’ll have to look at the speed map to see where can land with her,’’ he said.

The blinkers will go on Pallaton for the first time and Freedman is being very forgiving of his unplaced effort in the Star Kingdom two weeks ago.

The colt won the Zeditave Stakes second-up and was beaten under three lengths in the Newmarket.

Profoundly wins the Adrian Knox Stakes

“I feel it’s the right time, his form in Melbourne was terrific where he won the Group 3 at Caulfield and he didn’t get much of a look at them in the Newmarket,’’ he said.

“He ended up back in the field at Rosehill the other day which wasn’t the place to be so I don’t read too much into that run.”

Michael Freedman on Mareth (race 2): “It’ll probably be her last run for the prep, she’s run some really good races without winning. I’m quite keen to have a look at her at the 1400m on Saturday and she’s drawn a nice gate so she should be able to get a nice run with the 53kg on her back.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Championships at Randwick on Saturday