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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Michael Freedman is prepared to learn a lot about emerging filly Apocalyptic when she faces what he sees as a decent test to remain unbeaten this preparation at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Michael Freedman

The least experienced in the Group 2 $300,000 Myplates Tea Rose Stakes (1400m), the filly beat many of her rivals when she scored a first-up win at just her second start in the Furious two weeks ago.

Freedman said it was great to see her run up to the potential he knows she has but is wary the scenario for her will be very different this time around.

“She’s a filly we’ve had a high opinion of, coming out at that level at only her second lifetime start and first-up from a long break was a good effort,’’ Freedman said.

“Obviously against good quality fillies it was a good effort. She got a nice run from a soft draw and it’s a slightly different set up at the 1400m drawn out-ish to what it looked like two weeks ago.

“She’s just been ticking over, she hasn’t had to do a great deal but she came through that run in good order.”

Apocalyptic, $3.00 with TAB on Thursday, heads the market for the Group 1 Flight Stakes in two weeks and that race would be the natural progression if Freedman sees what he needs to.

If she’s good enough to overcome the less favourable set up on Saturday, or be closing fast on them, he said that knowledge would be valuable going forward this spring and into 2026.

“We’re flying a bit blind because she’s so unexposed only having the two runs,’’ he said.

“It’s really taking it one step at a time, which I know sounds boring, but that’s very much the case.

“With even luck we’ll get a good idea how she looks over the 1400m and what our next step might be onto the Flight.

“As I said on the day (she won) I’m looking forward to what she might be able to do this spring and even moreso into the autumn next year.”

Golden Slipper winner Marhoona is pencilled in to return in the Group 2 $300,000 Yarraman Park Shorts (1100m) on Saturday but Freedman says he’s tossing up waiting a week to kick off her spring.

He has the Heritage Stakes (1100m) for three-year-olds next weekend at Rosehill as his second option and the way the weights are placed is making the choice tricky.

“She’ll carry 58kg in the Heritage where she carries the full penalty but it would be against her own age group,’’ he said.

“She’s only getting 1kg off Joliestar (in the Shorts) so she’s not well weighted.

“It’d probably to be fair only be 50-50 at this stage.

Apocalyptic wins the Furious Stakes

"The reality is that there aren't many options for sprinting fillies that have won a Group 1 as two-year-olds, or even Group 2 for that matter.”

As far as how Marhoona is coming along, Freedman said he’s been pleased with her build up and the decision to trial her a second time, where she chased home Shorts rival Briasa, and stay home instead of going to the Moir Stakes earlier this month first-up off the one trial.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting