Group 1 Northerly Stakes favourite has first WA hit-out, trainer and jockey not dismayed by last place finish

Group 1 $1.5 million TABtouch Northerly Stakes (1800m) fancy Attrition stepped out for the first time on WA soil at Monday’s Belmont trials, finishing last of four in his 1000m heat. As low as $5 with some bookmakers, Attrition was edged to a $6.50 second elect with the race sponsor, who tightened WA Guineas winner Storyville to $6 favouritism following Saturday’s triumph. In the hit-out, Attrition immediately drifted back to last place as brilliant gelding Ripcord zipped to the front. By the 600m, jockey Joseph Azzopardi nudged Attrition into third place and only two-and-a-half lengths from the blazing front-runner. Once straightening, Ripcord abandoned his rivals and sizzled away for a bloodless success as Attrition again fell back to last and was passed by Valency and Street Parade, who are both very capable but patently inferior to the Group 1 winner. Despite being visually uninspiring, trainer Mitchell Freedman was not at all deterred by the performance. “We were pretty happy with it,” Freedman said. “He’s deep into his preparation, so it got the freshness out of his legs, and they ran along solidly. “He was good through and after the line, plus his action looked good.” Attrition has not raced over shorter than 1200m and no less than 1400m since he was a two-year-old, so the nippy 1000m gallop was understandably quite keen for the now five-year-old. “He’s definitely a competitor and he’s genuinely looking for every bit of the 1800m,” Freedman said. “He measures up with the other horses that have come over from the east and you only have to look at the form of the Toorak to see how strong a race it was. “He’s in pretty similar form to then. He was in a strong Feehan race this spring, a good win in the Hill, and a good run without winning in the Five Diamonds.” Freedman said Attrition would now have a solid gallop in a week’s time before further maintenance work heading into his race on December 5. His hoop Azzopardi, who rode the horse publicly for the first time, also showed no dismay and indicated there could be hidden merit to the effort. “He felt good. I think the trial was probably better than it looked. It was a pretty slick trial – they ran good time – and they were probably just a little bit sharp for him,” Azzopardi said. “He’s definitely looking for a bit further, which he’ll get in two weeks’ time. “He won a Hill Stakes two starts ago and he’s won a Group 1 in the Toorak, so he goes pretty well, and the Northerly looks a good race for him. “From the feel I got today, he’s very laidback and not much bothers him.” In Attrition’s 2023 Toorak Handicap win, he defeated the 2024 winner Antino (second), Pride Of Jenni (sixth) and Amelia’s Jewel (ninth).