3 minute read
To say that Lee Freedman knows how to prepare a Derby winner would be an understatement.
He has 11 of them on a roll of honour that is already brimming with Group 1s galore – a whopping 125 of them, including the Singapore Airlines International Cup with Mummify in 2005 (his first winner at Kranji) and the Singapore Guineas with Mr Clint in 2018.
The 11 Derbies were swept across Australian states as diverse as Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania, with the most famous being his three AJC Australian Derby winners Naturalism (1992), Mahogany (1994) and Don Eduardo (2002).
With a big team of five runners contesting the $1 million Group 1 Singapore Derby (1800m) next Sunday, the Australian Hall of Fame trainer would certainly not mind adding another feather to his Derby cap.
Barring last-minute hiccups, the reigning Singapore champion trainer should be represented by (in order of ratings) Mr Clint, Circuit Mission, Sun Marshal, Heliosphere and Super Dynasty, the last to join after his Sunday win in Class 3 company earned him seven points and a Derby ticket.
With Cliff Brown's two-Leg winner What's New and her runner-up, Mark Walker's Sacred Croix likely to draw the most admirers, it's unlikely any one of the quintet will start favourite, but Freedman was only too happy to oblige when those five owners expressed the desire to have a runner.
"The owners were keen to have a runner in the Singapore Derby. They had the horses, they qualify and I was only too happy to run them, whether it's one, two or five," said Freedman.
"We're in it to win it, and besides, horses turn four only once. I've won 11 Derbies, and it would be great if I could add the Singapore Derby.
"I think it's a very open Derby this year. There are a lot of horses who can win it, Cliff's (Brown) mare What's New (winner of first two Legs) and Mike's (Clements) horse, Quarter Back.
"He is the main danger to me. It was a huge run in the Stewards' Cup.
"But I'm happy with my five horses. They've had a good prep and they will be going into the Derby in good shape."
As far as jockeys are concerned, Freedman has gone further afield for two of them - Heliosphere and Circuit Mission, hoping they can improve on their below-par last-start runs.
He and the China Horse Club have booked gun Sydney jockey Tommy Berry to ride Heliosphere while former Kranji-based jockey Glen Boss will return for the ride on Circuit Mission even if they could only muster a 12th place in the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1600m) on June 30.
"Tommy was one of a few names we were considering for Heliosphere. The China Horse Club won the (2013) Singapore Gold Cup with him on Tropaios (trained by his brother Michael) and were keen to have him back," he explained.
"Heliosphere was too far out of his ground from a wide gate in the Stewards' Cup. He's come out of that race well, though.
"As for Circuit Mission, he was never going to win. He had another horse (Sacred Croix) beside him.
"He can be a tricky horse at times, he doesn't like to be among horses. He never focused on the job in the Stewards' Cup.
"He might be better off drawing out wide in the Derby."
Freedman has booked Joseph Azzopardi on Sun Marshal, John Sundradas on Super Dynasty and Matthew Kellady on Mr Clint.
