Doomben Cup 2016: Lee Freedman and Co turn back clock as Our Ivanhowe gives stable second Group 1 in seven days

TAB BIG BETS: THE first fortnight of the Brisbane Winter Carnival has been like a time warp, winding the clock back to when the FBI dominated Group 1 racing.

Nathan Exelby

2 min read

May 21, 2016 - 5:09PM

The Sunday Mail (Qld)

Our Ivanhowe makes a sustained run from the rear of the field. Picture: AAP

THE first fortnight of the Brisbane Winter Carnival has been like a time warp, winding the clock back a couple of decades to when the FBI dominated Group 1 racing across Australia.

Malaguerra’s BTC Cup success was the first Group 1 winner for Lee and Anthony Freedman a week ago, and on Saturday unlucky stallion Our Ivanhowe sustained a withering burst to claim the Doomben Cup for the stable.

It was the fifth Freedman-trained Doomben Cup winner, after Lee took the race with Abstraction, Durbridge and Bush Padre and Anthony won with Mawingo in 2012.

Lee and Anthony have been in partnership since November 2014 after Lee ended his premature retirement.

Through the 1990s the dominance of the Freedman stable earned them the nickname Freedman Brothers Incorporated (FBI) as their haul of big-race wins propelled Lee to the top four trainers in Australian Group 1 racing history.

In the end it was a pretty easy win for German import Our Ivanhowe. Picture: Mark Cranitch

The Freedmans did not send huge teams to Queensland, but it was still a happy hunting ground, with the five Doomben Cups sitting nicely alongside other big-race wins with the likes of Mahogany, Danasinga and Miss Danehill.

Dual Cups winner Doriemus also launched his Australian career in Brisbane.

In charge of a more boutique team now and with younger brother Michael launching his own stable, Lee and Anthony have one of the best strike-rate stables in the country over the past year and now the big-race wins are coming.

“It’s not there yet, but it’s better than it was,” Anthony said when asked if the glory days were back.

Kerrin McEvoy returns on Our Ivanhowe after winning the feature race at Doomben. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Our Ivanhowe presented the stable with continual problems and it seemed likely he would return to Europe after he flopped in the BMW after another hoof problem.

“It hasn’t been easy. The horse has issues and he hasn’t had a lot of luck either,” Anthony said. “For a while it looked like it wasn’t going to go right again today.

“I took him back to the (Mornington) Peninsula with me and played around with him a bit and we’ve had a couple of farriers that have done a remarkable job.’’

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy continued his recent run of big-race success in Queensland, including last year’s Stradbroke and Tatts Tiara on Srikandi.

“When I first pressed the button I thought he was going to run a good place, but to his credit he picked up strongly,” McEvoy said.

Our Ivanhowe’s powerful burst again relegated Hauraki to the minor end of the prize, something that has happened seven times since his last win in March last year.

“I don’t think I’ve ever ridden a horse that goes up to them so well and I feel like I’ve got a lot of horse under me, but he just doesn’t find a way to win,’’ jockey James McDonald said. “It was another honest run, but he has probably come to the end of his prep.’’