Anthony Freedman stable fired up for Championships glory with Santa Ana Lane, Warning, Super Seth and Homesman
The Anthony Freedman camp will head to Royal Randwick with all guns blazing in pursuit of Championships glory and it’s their star sprinter who is set to take centre stage once again.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Whenever Group 1 racing is on, the Anthony Freedman stable is usually to the fore, and that should be the case again at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Freedman’s quartet of runners — Santa Ana Lane, Warning, Super Seth and Homesman — have all won at the highest level.
Santa Ana Lane has won five Group 1s, including last year’s T.J. Smith Stakes, the race he’s trying to win again.
Watch sport on Kayo. Anywhere. Anytime. Just $25/month, cancel anytime. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Warning will try to add to his Victoria Derby win in the Australian Derby, and Super Seth and Homesman will run in the Doncaster Mile.
Assistant trainer Sam Freedman said all four would run peak races on Saturday.
Although Santa Ana Lane hasn’t won since last year’s T.J. Smith, Freedman said he was far from a spent force.
Santa Ana Lane has had one start this campaign, a sixth behind Nature Strip in the Challenge Stakes over 1000m at Randwick. At his most recent appearance at Randwick over 1200m, he finished second to Yes Yes Yes in The Everest.
“We knew 1000m was too short first-up. We knew he’d need the run, but it gave him a good grounding and he’s trialled super since,” Freedman said.
“He’s in really good nick. The prospect of a heavy track will also suit.”
Freedman said the plan from barrier two was for Santa Ana Lane’s new jockey, Tim Clark, to settle him closer in the run, possibly in a midfield position.
“We think he’s ready to run a big race. This is the race he’s been set for,” Freedman said.
Santa Ana Lane is a $6 chance with TAB.
Freedman is confident that Warning is the best stayer of his age group.
“The Derby is more of a staying test and we think he’s the best stayer in his age group, so we’re hoping for a staying test like it was in the VRC Derby,” he said.
“Everything has gone to plan so far. He had a relatively soft run at his last start in the Rosehill Guineas where he was held up for a run which kept him in good shape. All the signs are positive for him.”
Warning is a $5 chance.
Freedman is also hoping the Doncaster Mile will be run at a solid pace which would suit classy three-year-old Super Seth.
“He’s probably not overly well-weighted compared to the other three-year-olds,” he said.
“He was a bit disappointing last start but the race shape didn’t suit him as they ran slowly early and he was caught wide and then got a bit keen. Hopefully he can settle midfield.
“The last strongly run mile he ran in was the Caulfield Guineas and that’s what usually happens in a Doncaster.”
Freedman also believes recent stable addition Homesman can be a threat in the Doncaster.
“At his first-up run, he was a little soft in condition,” Freedman said. “He’s had two trials since and we’ve really upped the ante and he’s now rock-hard fit. He does his best work when the speed is on. He’s a Group 1 winner and if finds his best form he’ll be a chance.”
Super Seth is $8 and Homesman is $19 with TAB fixed odds.
MYSTERY INJURY HAS STAR’S CAREER IN BALANCE
Australian Cup winner Fifty Stars faces potential immediate retirement after Lindsay Park was forced to abandon Doncaster plans with the regally-bred import because of injury.
The five-year-old’s owner Gerry Ryan is adamant the son of super-sire Sea The Stars will not be risked as David Hayes prepares to have the horse undergo a full veterinary check.
“I’m not going to risk the horse in any way for the sake of winning another race,” Ryan said.
“He might be retired and go to stud. He’s got a nice pedigree.
“He’s a Group 1 winner. He doesn’t need to win another race.”
Hayes said Fifty Stars had been uneven in his action following a trial in Sydney on Friday but was unsure what the problem is in the horse’s nearside foreleg.
“Until I get him back here to Lindsay Park (at Euroa), it’s very hard for me to diagnose him,” Hayes said.
“If the injury is a foot problem like an abscess, he might race again.
“If it’s a knee injury, retirement will be considered. It’s up to Gerry.
“He’s a very valuable horse. We won’t be risking him.
“It's all a bit of a mystery as X-rays on the knees have come back all-clear.
“It may be a deep-seated foot abscess or something like that.”
Hayes said it was possible Fifty Stars could progress to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick if he was cleared of injury.
Imported by Ryan to Australia, Fifty Stars has won 10 of 23 starts, including five black type contests including the Group 1 Australian Cup.
He also boasts three Group 2 and one Group 3 triumphs.
MORE RACING
‘WHATEVER IT TAKES’: RACING UNITES TO FIGHT VIRUS
MILE HIGH: HE’S A HELLOVA A GOOD HORSE
WAR CHEST: QUEENSLAND ABANDONS WINTER CARNIVAL
HOLDING PATTERN FOR VRC HEIR APPARENT
Neil Wilson’s promotion to the Victoria Racing Club chairmanship — racing’s worst-kept secret — has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Current club leader Amanda Elliott will continue indefinitely after clarifying the VRC’s succession plan following its board meeting on Friday.
“As stated at our AGM (annual general meeting) in December, the board has had a clear view of who should be our next chairman for some time,” Mrs Elliott said.
“The board decided on Friday that it intends to appoint Neil Wilson, our current chief executive officer, as the next chairman.
“However, because of the extremely challenging COVID-19 situation, and with stability and continuity being crucial at this time, the effective date of that baton change needs to be flexible.
“The VRC is not immune to the impact of this pandemic, which is why the club announced its second stage measures on Friday. This was done to protect our business and our people, so that we can resume with a sense of normality and positivity when this situation is over.
“In the meantime, we are very grateful that Neil has extended his CEO contract in order to lead the VRC team through this precarious period.”
Three VRC directors – Peter Fekete, John O’Rourke and Elisa Robinson – have resigned from the board since December’s poisonous election process because of concerns over corporate governance.
Their departure allowed the VRC, which has yet to replace the trio, to rubberstamp Wilson’s rise to the chair.
Wilson, who appointed to the VRC Board in 2012 and became honorary treasurer in 2017, has the unqualified respect of all Flemington-based trainers.
He was appointed interim CEO in 2017 and then CEO in 2018. He has remained a member of the club’s board in his capacity as CEO.
“I am deeply honoured and would like to thank the VRC Board for its support of me as next chairman when the time is right,” he said.
“Until then my role will be to ensure the long term sustainability of the club we all love, and to protect our people through these unprecedented times.”
The VRC is believed to have earmarked a Crown executive to succeed Wilson as chief executive.
The club last week employed a range of cost-saving measures, standing down staff for a month while retaining a skeletal executive on reduced pay.