Attrition shows tenacity for Churchill with Group 1 win at Caulfield

Churchill has made a fine start to his career at CoolmoreCredit: Amy Lanigan

Attrition’s 25-1 upset in Saturday’s Toorak Handicap at Caulfield presented a major southern hemisphere breakthrough in the burgeoning career of Coolmore’s Churchill.

In a year which has seen the sire responsible for Christopher Head’s outstanding filly Blue Rose Cen, to follow the Eclipse and French Derby-winning exploits of first-crop member Vadeni last year, Churchill now has three top-level winners on the board among ten at Group or Graded level worldwide.

Attrition was bought by his trainer Mitch Freedman for A$180,000 (£93,000/€108,000) at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale from Mill Park Stud. Bred by the Toorak Thoroughbred Breeding Trust, he is out of the four-times-winning French Deputy mare Queen’s Kiss.

Although only a minor winner before this race, in which Beau Mertens forced his head past the line just in front of Antino (by Redwood), Attrition had finished second in the Group 1 Australian Guineas in March and had resumed the new campaign with a couple of decent performances at Group 2 level. However, he had beaten only a couple home in last month’s Underwood Stakes at the same track.

The disappointment was hot favourite and multiple Group 1 winner Amelia’s Jewel, who had a wide draw and never really got involved in finishing ninth of the 16 runners.

Celebrations would have to be muted for Freedman, who was due to run the Melbourne marathon on Sunday.

“I’ve had, I think, three seconds in Group 1s before today and I was just willing him to get over the line because we have been nutted closely a few times,” said Freedman.

“We always knew he was up to the level. He was very disappointing last start. Back to handicap, aided by a brilliant ride by a jockey that is well and truly on the rise – how good.

"It just worked out perfect, we knew we had to take the bull by the horns, we went back the other day and he never got into the race, we knew we had to be positive and put him in a spot."

Churchill, who won the Dewhurst this time seven years ago before landing two Guineas at three, has shuttled to Australia from Ireland and was standing for €30,000 at Coolmore in County Tipperary this year.