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SANDOWN-LAKESIDE
PATINACK FARM HCP (72)
Race 2 - 1,200 m
IRIDESCENTE
PREMIER SIGNS HCP (72)
Race 3 - 1,400 m
ZUCKERBERG
THE COVE HOTEL HCP (72)
Race 4 - 1,300 m
OUTDOOR
SPORTINGBET HCP (78)
Race 5 - 1,200 m
SMOKIN' JOEY
EVENT LANDSCAPING SOLUTIONS-78
Race 7 - 1,400 m
CHAMANDI
LEE FREEDMAN
Lee Freedman was born be involved in racing.
His father Tony was a property developer, owner and part-time trainer, while his great-grandfather, on his father's maternal side, Bill "Midge" McLachlan was a champion international jockey who won three Melbourne Cups on Prince Foote (1909), Comedy King (1910), Westcourt (1917).
Lee's serious involvement with horses came in 1970, at the age of 14, when his father, on medical advice after a heart attack, opted for a healthier lifestyle away from Sydney by purchasing the Yass farm, Hardwick Stud.
Freedman boarded at Scots College in Sydney where he captained the swimming team but his involvement in the day-to-day running of the family's thoroughbred business became a passion.
The stud stood a number of good stallions including Loosen Up (sire of champion Better Loosen Up) and former Melbourne galloper Demus.
Freedman, after failing to complete a university course, ventured overseas to learn more about the racing game, spending a season at the famed Claiborne Stud as a veterinary assistant.
His desire for training horses outweighed that of running a stud farm and he took an owner-trainers' licence in 1983 - shortly after he trained his first winner, a cast-off galloper named Sitting Bull, who landed a betting plunge at the local Canberra track.
Later in 1983, Freedman, who was training a small team at the Gold Coast, gained his full licence, allowing him to move to Warwick Farm.
Attempts to get boxes at Randwick failed, resulting in Freedman and his younger brothers, Richard and Anthony, on the advice of their father, moving to stables in Ascot Vale in Victoria, opposite the Flemington racecourse. Unfortunately, Tony Freedman died shortly after the move, leaving the family with some financial problems to overcome.
Freedman soon made his mark in Melbourne, especially through the deeds of a quality young mare named Sauna. The sale of Sauna to America helped finance the expansion of the Freedman brothers' enterprise to an extra stable complex at Flemington and a pre-training centre at Avenel, formerly Malabar Park, but renamed Brackley Park.
In 1986, Miss Clipper won the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville, giving Freedman his first Group 1 winner.
Two year's later, Tawrrific was Freedman's first Melbourne Cup runner, finishing 12th behind Empire Rose. The young trainer made the point that he was watching the every move of master trainer Bart Cummings in his preparation of stayers.
In 1989, Tawrrific beat stablemate Super Impose in the Melbourne Cup - Freedman cites it as his most memorable moment in racing. "It gave my career a huge kick and opened a lot of doors".
But it was Super Impose who gave Freedman his biggest thrills in those early days at Flemington. The great chestnut set racing abuzz when he lumped big weights to win the Doncaster-Epsom double at Randwick in 1991 and again in 1992.
Freedman and his brothers continued to expand. Youngest brother Michael came into the business around the same time more stables were opened at Epsom, where Lee was installed as private trainer for big spending property developer Floyd Podgornik.
Unfortunately, Podgornik died soon after the Freedmans moved into the Epsom, which forced another change in directed for the brothers. In 1993, the Freedmans moved to Geoff Murphy's vacant stables at Caulfield. Richard was in charge at Caulfield, while Anthony set up a satellite stable at Randwick in Sydney.
Lee had a huge 1992-93 season, winning the Melbourne spring treble - the Caulfield Cup (Mannerism), Cox Plate (Super Impose) and Subzero gave him his second Melbourne Cup.
Bint Marscay was trained out of Sydney in 1993 to win the first of Freedman's four successive Golden Slippers. He also won with Danzero, Flying Spur and Merlene.
Freedman continued his wonderful run with horses like Mahogany, Durbridge and Doriemus, who won Freedman his third Melbourne Cup in 1995 after winning rhe Caulfield Cup the same year.
In 1996 Freedman made the dramatic move to close his Flemington operation and moved to new stables at Caulfield.
While the Caulfield complex was state-of-the-art and Freedman trained many winners, he failed to have the same impact he had at Flemington. Winning the 2002 AJC Australian Derby with Australia and New Zealand's costliest yearling Don Eduardo (NZ $3.6 million) was a memorable triumph during his Caulfield days.
Even so, Freedman was in a lean period and a restructure was needed to re-ignite both his enthusiasm and the business. Apart from buying and developing part of Muranna Stud, Balnarring, into a spelling and pre-training centre, he took the risky decision to move "off course" and in 2003 to establish his own training centre at St. Andrews, near Rye on the Mornington Peninsula sand belt, adjoining Moonah Links Golf Resort.
Brothers Richard and Michael moved from the training side of the business to establish their own careers in the media and golf course construction, leaving Lee and Anthony to run the new farm, "Markdel" - named after their oldest brother Mark and mother Del.
Freedman's new venture produced immediate results through the deeds of Mummify (Caulfield Cup), Special Harmony (VRC Oaks) and the champion filly Alinghi (Blue Diamond Stakes and Newmarket Handicap).
David Hall's move in 2004 to Hong Kong saw Freedman take over 2003 Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva, training the wonder mare to win another two Melbourne Cups, a Cox Plate, Australian Cup and a BMW Stakes.
His tally of five Melbourne Cup wins sees him equal with Etienne de Mestre, and second only to his idol Bart Cummings (11 wins).
In 2005 Mummify's win in the Group 1 Singapore International Stakes (2000m) at Kranji was Freedman's first international success as a trainer. In 2006 he campaigned a horse in Europe for the first time with Falkirk, finishing fourth in the Group 2 King's Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.
Meanwhile, Mummify who gave Freedman his 100th Group 1 winner when he won the 2004 Yalumba Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 9.
Until Makybe Diva, Freedman regarded his best horses as Super Impose (four successive Randwick miles) and Schillaci (champion sprinter), just ahead of Naturalism and Alinghi. But he has also trained wonderful horses including Poetic King, Mahogany, Mannerism, Paris Lane, Durbridge, Danelagh, Don Eduardo, Gold Ace, Serenade Rose, Kensington Palace and Benicio.
Freedman personally broke new ground on June 19, 2007, when his outstanding sprinting mare Miss Andretti won the Group 2 King's Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot, providing Freedman with his first European winner. "I have been waiting all my life for this, it means a lot to me," he said in an emotional moment after Miss Andretti crossed the line. Miss Andretti, who won four Group 1 races for the season in Australia, went on to give the Freedman stable his fourth Australian Champion Racehorse title. His other titles came with Makybe Diva (2004-05, 2005-06) and Mahogany (1993-94).
It was fitting that Freedman's first Group win in Europe was in front of the Queen at Royal Ascot. His great-grandfather Midge McLachlan left Australian in 1922 to ride in England, where he became the first Australian jockey to ride for the British Royal Family. In 1924, both Midge and his son Bill rode winners at the Royal Ascot meeting.
Freedman passed his position as head trainer for the Freedman Racing operation to his brother Anthony in August 2011.
Freedman was inducted into racing's Hall of Fame in 2003 at the age of 46. He is married to Janelle, and has two daughters, Emma and Georgia.
Stables: Markdel, St. Andrews, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
First winner: Sitting Bull, Canberra, 1983
First Group 1 win: Miss Clipper (1986 Australasian Oaks)
Metropolitan Premierships: 7
Group 1 wins (to end of 2010-11 season): 124
ANTHONY FREEDMAN
Born: March 20, 1964
Anthony is the third eldest of the Freedman Racing team. Anthony is an integral part of the training operation on the Mornington Peninsula.
Anthony is in control of the development and preparation of the two-year-olds in the Freedman stable, using the outstanding facilities at St. Ives and nearby Denistoun Park.
After Anthony completed Year 12 at Canberra Grammar, he joined his brothers Lee and Richard, as an assistant, at Warwick Farm in 1983. He was part of the move to Melbourne in 1984.
Late in 1992, Anthony pioneered the Freedman Brothers' first foray interstate, when he opened a stable at Randwick. In that first year in Sydney, Anthony (under Lee's licence) prepared Bint Marscay to win the 1993 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill.
Anthony, who has a keen eye for a yearling, is heavily involved in the yearling sale inspection process. It was Anthony who selected and bought Naturalism as a yearling for only $35,000. And he also selected Mummify ($60,000) and True Glo ($40,000) out of the Adelaide Sales. Anthony is married to Melissa. They have three children, Charlie, Matilda and Sam.
Anthony took over from his brother Lee as head trainer of Freedman Racing in August 2011.
RICHARD FREEDMAN
Born: September 8, 1962
Richard was a committed junior equestrian rider in his days at Hardwicke Stud, near Yass. Like Anthony, he joined Lee is the fledgling training operation at Warwick Farm in 1983, before moving with Lee and Anthony to Flemington, in Melbourne, in 1984.
In those early, difficult days it was Richard's outgoing personality and business acumen in developing contacts that helped the Freedman's build a foothold in Melbourne.
Richard branched away from Lee and Anthony in the early 1990s when he took over the running of a private Epsom stable for owner Floyd Podgornik. When Podgornik died, Richard was left with the task of racing and selling the big team of young horses. From Epsom, Richard was in charge of Centro when he won the 1990 Caulfield Guineas. A few years later, as an open stable, Richard launched the careers Subzero, Schillaci, Mahogany, and Naturalism from the Epsom stable.
When the Freedman Brothers took over the Caulfield stables of former top trainer Geoff Murphy, it was Richard who moved into the complex as custodian of the stable's big team of juveniles. From Caulfield, Richard prepared three Golden Slipper winners, Danzero (1994), Flying Spur (1995) and Merlene (1996).
In March 1995, Richard took control as trainer of the Freedman operation after Lee was suspended for four months over the Central Express blinker trial controversy.
Richard branched out of the everyday running of the stable to pursue a career in the media in 2001, but he remains a director of Freedman Racing.
Richard, who lives in Sydney, resigned as co-host of 2KY's Big Sports Breakfast program in February 2008 after being appointed Executive Director of Operations at Royal Randwick Racecourse, a position he resigned in March 2009. Richard has prominent roles on Sky Channel and as a columnist with the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
Richard is married to Sally. They have two children, Lucy and William.
MICHAEL FREEDMAN
Born: April 22, 1968
Michael is the youngest of the Freedman brothers. During his time as a schoolboy at Yass, he developed a reputation for his quality horsemanship in the showjumping arena.
When Lee, Richard and Anthony moved to Melbourne in 1984, Michael was still at school. He followed the family shift south to complete his schooling at Melbourne Grammar.
Michael began a university degree in business management, but left to join his brothers in the daily running of the stable in 1988.
Michael's main role during his early days with Freedman Brothers was as a travelling foreman, and he made a quick name for himself in that position when he campaigned Mahogany to win two Group 1 races - the QTC Sires' Produce Stakes and Castlemaine Stakes - as a late 2YO in 1993.
In a full time position with his brothers, Michael controlled a Flemington on-course stable until the brothers moved their operation under one roof at Caulfield in 1996.
In 2002, Michael moved away from Freedman Racing. He developed, with close friend Andrew Purchase, Turnpoint, a golf course landscaping and construction business that has become an international leader in its field. One of Turnpoint's first jobs was to develop the magnificent Markdel training complex at St. Andrews, near Rye, for his brothers.
Turnpoint has been instrumental in the resurrection of the troubled Randwick surface.
While Michael remains a director of Turnpoint, he moved back to Freedman Brothers in mid-2006 as Racing Manager. In early 2008 Michael accepted an invitation to open his own stables at Kranji Racecourse in Singapore. His impact on Asian racing as been immeadiate and his success has seen his stables grow in stature and size from day one and he is now consider one of the leading trainers in Singapore within just 12 months. Michael continues a close association with his brothers at Markdel and the stable's existing owners can only benefit from a strong Singaporean-based trainer.
Michael is married to Anna. They have three children, triplets Jess, Sophie and Max.
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The Freedman brothers took a decision in 2002 to switch from a metropolitan training regime to a unique environment on the Mornington Peninsula - they built the world-class complex known as Markdel
Mike Sheahan talks to Lee Freedman
Lee Freedman tells MIKE SHEAHAN why he was happy to hand over the reins.
