Forbidden Love appreciated dropping back from a Group 1 at the Melbourne Cup carnival to claim her second Stakes victory in the Gosford Guineas LR on Tuesday.
The All Too Hard 3yo filly was a class above the opposition winning by a length eased down for trainers Richard and Michael Freedman. She was immediately promoted to a $6 second-favourite for the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas RL at the Gold Coast on January 16.
Forbidden Love had opened her black-type account in the Reginald Allen Quality LR at Randwick in October before a half-length third-placing in the Empire Rose Stakes Gr.1 at Flemington.
“She ran a great race in the Group 1 and didn’t lose any fitness going into today,” Richard Freedman said. “James (McDonald) was forced to sit three deep but had some cover so it wasn’t such a disadvantage. She’s done everything we’ve asked of her and it’s been like that from the very start. She just wants to be a racehorse.
Forbidden Love has struck 4 times in 9 outings for prizemoney of $388,750. She was bred by Kerry O’Brien and sold through Bhima Thoroughbreds (as agent) at the 2019 Gold Coast Magic Millions. “I didn’t want to spend any more than $200,000 and we got her for $150,000,” Freedman recalled. “She’s a gem and there’s definite improvement in her but there will need to be to win the Magic Millions Guineas.”
Her USA-bred dam Juliet’s Princess (More Than Ready) had visited All Too Hard at Vinery following four wins up to 1600m in Adelaide for O’Brien. She was also runner-up in a Laelia Stakes LR at Morphettville.
The All Too Hard nick with Vinery legend More Than Ready has a 68% winning strike-rate and yearlings with that cross at next month’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale include Baramul Stud’s fillies from Sawn Off Shotgun (Lot 1068) and Warsaw Pact (Lot 1135).
Vinery (as agent) has catalogued All Too Hard colts out of Kachiko (Lot 430) and British-bred mare Poppet’s Treasure (Lot 1043) whose half-brother Roberto Mount won at Chantilly last month.
