The Straight Daily News – Freedman flips the script | A new era for Element Hill | Hot nom to be auctioned for charity
The next chapter of the Freedman journey
Michael Freedman was still in high school when the Freedman brothers emerged as a new force in Australian racing. Forty years later, the youngest Freedman is driving the latest chapter, with the help of his new assistant, Hall of Fame brother Lee.
Freedman script flips but family’s racing journey continues
New owner for farm which produced Golden Sixty and Typhoon Tracy
Queensland’s Element Hill, the farm where now retired Hong Kong champion Golden Sixty and Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy were born and raised, has been sold after more than 12 months on the market.
And while the buyer, who had earlier purchased the neighbouring property also previously owned by prominent breeders John and Fu Mei Hutchins and run by their son Josh, is not from a racing or breeding background, he intends to operate Element Hill as a spelling facility.
That’s good news for long-time Element Hill managers Mitch and Di Fraser who will stay on at the farm under its new ownership to operate the thoroughbred spelling business.
Selling agent Clint Donovan of Donovan & Co revealed Element Hill’s new owner, whose identity has not been disclosed, was keen to explore the thoroughbred industry with the spelling farm as an entry point for the businessman.
In his Element – new owner’s plans for thoroughbed nursery
Last available Too Darn Hot nomination to be auctioned for charity
A nomination in the Darley’s champion shuttle stallion Too Darn Hot will be auctioned this month to raise funds for The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust.
The initiative, a collaboration between Godolphin, Watership Down Stud and CatWalk, will see all proceeds from the nomination go directly toward funding critical research to help those living with spinal cord injuries.
The CatWalk Trust was founded by New Zealander Catriona Williams, who runs Little Avondale Stud with her husband Sam.
Godolphin Australia managing director Andy Makiv said it was a wonderful opportunity to support a great cause by breeding to an elite stallion who is already the sire of champion two-year-old Broadsiding.
Hot nom set for CatWalk auction
Bella Nipotina, Via Sistina vie for NSW Horse of the Year award
Retired Everest winner Bella Nipotina and prolific Group 1-winning mare Via Sistina headline nominations for NSW Horse of the Year honours.
A shortlist of 10 finalists has been determined by a pointscore system.
Horses predominantly trained in NSW earn points for top-three finishes in Group and Listed races across Australia.
But those from interstate only earn points for races in NSW.
The Everest carries double points, with a panel of industry experts, including representatives from Racing NSW, the Australian Turf Club, racing media, and the NSWROA board, involved in the selection process.
Their votes, in conjunction with the pointscore, will determine the winners.
Bella Nipotina and Via Sistina will be joined by Buckaroo, Ceolwulf, Fangirl, Joliestar, Royal Patronage, Stefi Magnetica, Sunshine In Paris and Tom Kitten as finalists.
The winner will be announced during Racing’s Night of Champions, a flagship event for the NSW Racehorse Owners Association (NSWROA), at Randwick on August 28 that will have added significance this year.
A new award will be presented to mark the NSWROA’s 60th anniversary, with an owner who has made a sustained and outstanding contribution to the sport in NSW to be acknowledged.
“The board has been considering ways to formally recognise the invaluable contributions owners make to racing and decided this is a fitting way and time to do that,” NSWROA president Tony Mitevski said.
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WA trainer on cusp of 100 Cup wins as Broome beckons
A regional West Australian trainer is on the verge of an extraordinary milestone as he chases Broome Cup success.
Darryn Pateman is regarded as an unstoppable force in country racing – and for good reason.
If successful with one of his four runners on Saturday, it will mark his 100th Cup victory in WA, a remarkable achievement that underscores his dominance and longevity in regional racing.
Based in Karnup, south of Perth, Pateman has spent more than four decades crisscrossing the state, building a reputation as one of WA’s most prolific and respected trainers.
Pateman has a strong team in the $100,000 Broome Cup, a race he won for the first time with Ombudsman in 2022.
In a field of 14 starters, Pateman will saddle up Gambler’s Gold, Divine Mercy, Hafey and Masatora.
“It always does mean a lot winning these country cups,” Pateman told Racing WA.
“I’ve been around a while, so you have to keep attacking.”
Pateman said Gambler’s Gold likely represented his best chance to bring up the century.
“He was runner-up last year … so he has been there and done it,” Pateman said.
“Everything he’s done has been perfect. This race has been his main aim since we’ve come up here.”
Rosehill exhibition gallops for Waller’s elite mares
Five of trainer Chris Waller’s leading spring contenders will ramp up their new season campaigns with exhibition gallops at Rosehill on Saturday.
The champion trainer will step up the workload of Group 1 winners Aeliana (Jason Collett), Fangirl (Kerrin McEvoy) and Via Sistina (James McDonald) by galloping them over 1000 metres on the Rosehill course proper after race one this weekend.
Following race two, the trio’s stablemates Autumn Glow (McEvoy) and Lady Shenandoah (McDonald) will also gallop together over 1000 metres.
Last-start ATC Australian Derby-winning filly Aeliana, Via Sistina, Lady Shenandoah and Fangirl are high up in all-in markets for the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick on August 23.
Autumn Glow could also resume on the same day with the Show County Quality (1200m) and Toy Show Quality (1100m) slated as possible first-up assignments for the high-class daughter of The Autumn Sun.
Point Barrow heading in right direction
Lightly raced filly Point Barrow is likely to return to stakes company after a first-up win in maiden grade at Bendigo on Thursday.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained daughter of Blue Point was placed in the Listed Merson Cooper last November at her only start as a juvenile and another Listed race at Moonee Valley on September 6 is a possible target.
Owned by Robert and Barbara McClure, who bred Storm Boy among a host of other high-quality horses, Ridgmont Farm and the late Colin McKenna’s Halo Racing Services, Point Barrow broke her maiden over 1100 metres under a ride from Daniel Stackhouse as the $1.95 favourite.
“We’ll just get her home, make sure she pulls up all right. There’s the Atlantic Jewel Stakes coming up in a couple of weeks, which probably would suit her. But we’ll just see what the boys (Anthony and Sam) want to do with her,” stable representative Billie Rodda told Racing.com post-race.
“Look, she’s a lovely filly. She’s tried out really nicely. Obviously, she’s got some little temperament problems where she can sort of miss a kick or be slow out and get quite racy.”
The second foal out of Group 3-winning Reward For Effort mare Take Pride, Point Barrow was a $400,000 Magic Millions purchase by her trainers from the Yarraman Park Stud draft.
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Dubois sells Calyx’s half-sister for $1.072 million at special France sale
A Frankel mare topped the dispersal sale of veteran French breeder and owner Jean-Pierre Dubois, a legendary figure in both trotting and thoroughbred circles in France, at a special private auction in his home country on Wednesday.
Dubois, whose son Jean bred and trained thoroughbreds for a period in Australia based at Woodpark Stud in the NSW Southern Highlands, parted with Coventry Stakes winner Calyx’s half-sister Helenium for €600,000 (A$1.072 million) at Haras de Bois Roussel.
The unraced Helenium was bought by Quirke Bloodstock for Coolmara Stables.
Dubois, who raced 2024 Prix de Diane winner Sparkling Plenty and 2023 Prix du Moulin winner Sauterne, who are both by Juddmonte sire Kingman.
Dubois Senior sold Sparkling Plenty for €5 million (A$8.26 million) at the Arqana December sale last year.
Jean Dubois notably trained Siyouni’s son Alymerton, who was bred to southern hemisphere time, to win the 2018 Todman Stakes and Siyouni’s stakes-placed filly See You Soon before handing in his licence in May 2023 and returning to France.
His son Pierre was an assistant to his father at Woodpark Stud, but he too has relocated to his home country where he was planning on taking out a trainer’s licence of his own.
The Arqana August Yearling Sale will take place in Deauville this weekend.
