He’s a six-year-old who hasn’t raced for 17 months and had only 11 career starts, but there’ll be no better-bred or more scrutinised galloper in the country at Tuesday’s feature Kembla Grange meeting.
Impeccably bred Sidereal takes aim at a good quality Class 1 Hcp over 1400m for the Rosehill-based Freedman stable.
Racing returns to Kembla Grange on Tuesday.Credit: Getty
The UK-reared gelding is by the mighty unbeaten stallion and group 1 Epsom and Irish Derby winner Galileo, and out of a mare by group 1 July Cup winner Oasis Dream.
Sidereal was brought to Australia more than two years ago and had three spaced runs through the second half of 2021 up to Benchmark 72 metropolitan grade.
But not since a close-up third at Warwick Farm three days before Christmas that year, and of course the ensuing problems, has he raced, yet a long and at times painful wait might draw an immediate silver lining.
Given two recent trials, Sidereal took everyone’s eye in the latest, bounding to the front at Hawkesbury over 1250m before effortlessly dropping his rivals at the 400m and cruising home by more than two lengths.
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It was seemingly the perfect hit-out a fortnight before he resumes his career, although he’ll get a stern first-up test from progressive filly and last start winner Allesandra, lightly raced provincial filly Always In, and tough on-speed filly Resistible.
Meanwhile, across a strong provincial program, a rare sight of back-to-back two-year-old handicap races over 1400m will have juvenile form students in overdrive.