Tom Kitten lands second All-Star Mile

The Godolphin galloper won last year's edition, the first at Group 1 level, when prepared by James Cummings while Saturday's victory came after a stable change at the beginning of the season when transferred into the care of Anthony and Sam Freedman. 

Not letting the $2.35 favourite Pride Of Jenni out of his sights, Tom Kitten ($3.90) had to pull out all stops under Craig Williams to score by a short-neck from Evaporate ($12) with the favourite a further head away third. 

Tom Kitten is unbeaten in two autumn starts after resuming with a win in the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 7. 

Resisting the temptation of tackling the Group 1 Futurity Stakes over the same course and distance two weeks later, the Freedman father-and-son team elected to go into Saturday's race on the fresh side via a trial at Caulfield Heath last month. 

Sam Freedman described Tom Kitten as a remarkable galloper after a spring campaign that went awry after the gelding was a late scratching at the barriers in the Memsie Stakes. 

"He's been to the top for a long time, and we've been blessed to get him into the stable in the last eight or nine months," Freedman said. 

"We were disappointed with the spring we had with him. We felt he was going well, but we were chasing our tail, but this prep, I don't know what it is. 

"I rang Dad this morning and said he's a different horse. He looks amazing, he's holding more condition, he's racing heavier than he was in the spring. 

"Sometimes you are a victim when horses change yards. They go onto a different feed, a few changes can happen pretty quickly. 

"He's now in a nice routine at Pinecliff, gets out into a paddock during the day. 

"He's a remarkable horse and turns up every time. 

While the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) on March 28 would seem the logical next step for Tom Kitten, Freedman said the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on April 4 may be the preferred option. 

"I feel he's best fresh at a mile," Freedman said. 

"We might see him in the Doncaster more likely than the Australian Cup. 

"He might grind away late like he wants the 2000 metres, but he likes a strong tempo where he can sit back and stalk them. 

"We'll have a chat as he's also entered in Dubai and Hong Kong, so there's plenty of options for him. 

"The beauty of him is he's an easy horse to work with." 

For Williams, it was his first win in the All-Star Mile, a race that dates back to 2019. 

The champion jockey had finished second in the previous two years aboard Mr Brightside behind Tom Kitten last year and Pride Of Jenni in 2024. 

He was on the sidelines with injury when Mr Brightside won in 2023. 

"This horse beat me last year in this race on Brightside and because we haven't got Brightside now, if you can't beat them, join them, I thought," Williams said. 

"He's just a big, strong individual and he knows it. He's content and we saw it today under race pressure."