Reborn Love Tap set to make up for lost time in The Gong

16 Nov 22

The following story was written by Clinton Payne at Racenet: 14 November 2022

The father/son training team of Richard and Will Freedman punched above their weight during Melbourne Cup week at Flemington and it's a stable veteran they hope can carry on their good recent run of form leading into Christmas.

The Rosehill-based trainers had five starters during Cup Week for the return of a Winner, a Group 1 and Group 2 runner-up and two unplaced performances.

Their VRC Oaks and Wakeful runner-up Pavitra (American Pharoah) is in the paddock with eyes on the Australian Oaks in the autumn but it was their Cup Day winner Love Tap which has some ambitious targets in the weeks ahead.

LOVE TAP winning the SUBZERO Hcp at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day

"We're aiming to run him in The Gong, hopefully he'll get a run and then we'll run him in The Villiers or the Ingham Stakes as it's now called," Richard Freedman said.

"He may not be up to it and may need to drop back a level but he's going as well as he ever has at the moment.

"If you think back to his spring three-year-old season, a few people thought he was a Group 1 horse."

The 2020 Gloaming Stakes winner finished a beaten favourite when fourth in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes, finishing behind Group 1 stars Montefilia and Lion's Roar.

LOVE TAP winning the Gr3 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill

But it was from there that things went pear-shaped for the eye-catching grey.

"After he had that big three-year-old campaign he went to the paddock, and he injured his hock quite badly," Freedman said.

"It's taken two years to get him to the point where the horse is not thinking about it at all.

"It's been a mental battle, I've got no doubt he was holding back, not letting go.

"They can't tell you but obviously when he had to go to his top, something was annoying him but, in this preparation, he's really given us the impression he's not worrying about it anymore.

"I think he's going as well as he's ever gone at the moment, it just took two years longer than we expected because of the injury.

"The next couple of runs will tell us just how good he is going I suppose."

With Love Tap using all of his cylinders, Freedman believes other benefits have flowed that is now allowing the gelded son of Tapit, the sire of recently retired US superstar Flightline, to start to fulfill his potential.

"The other things are he's strengthened up and got his acceleration back," he said.

"He was always very light behind, he wouldn't muscle up properly but now, he looks like what we thought he'd look like a couple of seasons ago.

"It took two years later to get there because of his injury.

"We also think he's at his best up to the mile when ridden quietly.

"Flemington confirmed that."

DYNAMIC HOOFNOTE:

LOVE TAP has made it into the field as Number 15 in The Gong but has come up with the visitors draw of barrier 18 of 20 acceptors. The field is restricted to 16 runners plus 4 emergencies.

At this point LOVE TAP will jump from barrier 15 of 16 runners.

As a back-up plan, we had accepted in the $150,000 MOOLOOLABAH CUP on Saturday, where he has drawn barrier 12. However, by gaining a start in The Gong, despite his poor draw, LOVE TAP will line up at Kembla.

Dynamic Andrew Adkins

We wish his Co-Owners and our jet pilot Andrew Adkins even racing opportunities to allow LOVE TAP to show his best on Saturday.

LOVE TAP

LOVE TAP career record: 20 Starts = 7 Wins: 0 Seconds: 2 Thirds and Prizemoney: $508,000

Benchmark Rating: 95

Owners: Dynamic Syndications Racing, Mr D M Badger, Ms J E Mors, Mrs T E Parish, Mr A M Parish, Mr S L Goodger, Mrs V D Dowling, Ms P Speight, Mr J Yianni, Mr N B Patterson, Ms A Rohde, Mrs C G Bodey, Ms D G Hall, Mr S A Hardiman, Mrs K Corby, Mr A N Luckman, Miss A J Hayes, Mr G J Breen, Mrs K Tew, Dynamic no. 94.