Last stride victory - and a deadheat
July 29th 2009 07:06
Lee Freedman won the Victorian Metropolitan Trainers Premiership at the very last opportunity - the last race of the current season - run at Sandown Lakeside today. Charzoo, perfectly ridden by 3kg apprentice Nathan Rose, cleared away in the straight for an easy victory. In doing so apprentice Rose denied both Damien Oliver or Craig Williams the jockeys title as they were both unplaced aboard their highly fancied mounts.
(photo: Chris Bourchier)
Lee Freedman finished on 65 wins, and in defeating David Hayes (64 wins) he now has won the title on seven occasions.
Although this is a feat worthy of celebration I’m sure that Lee Freedman would swap this title for more success in the feature Group Races. The top two stables vying for the premiership had limited success in the feature races of last season. David Hayes gained Group One success with half-brothers Niconero and Nicconi.
The Hayes and Freedman stables have held prominence in Victorian racing for many years, but it is the feature race successes of the smaller (small only in scale when compared to Hayes and Freedman) stables of Mick Price, Peter Moody, Danny O’Brien, and Mark Kavanagh, that seem to dominate the press and feature races come the Melbourne Spring and Autumn. Last racing year Mick Price trained more Group One winners than any other trainer - and he still retains many of those stars for the coming season. While Peter Moody has built up an exciting team of potential ‘superstars’ headed by Black Caviar and Typhoon Tracy, but also including Reward For Effort and Wanted. Mark Kavanagh will be represented by the perennial Maldivian, but also Whobegotyou, Sea Battle and Champagne Harmony. Danny O’Brien will have his flagship stayers Master O’Reilly and Barbaricus - but also up and coming sprinting star Keano - to unleash onto the Spring stage.
I suppose winning a Trainers Premiership is similar to winning the ‘minor premiership’ in football and finishing on top of the ladder at seasons end - but not tasting the success, fame and glory of the (ultimate) Grand Final win. The workmanlike compilation of wins during the season soon forgotten by the fame and fact of the ultimate victory.
David Hayes will be hoping that the addition to his yard of talented staying mare Unsung Heroine from the UK may be able to provide another Group One winner this new season. Her second placing to champion stayer Conduit in the 2008 St Leger - beating home Oaks winner Look Here; Irish Derby winner Frozen Fire; Doctor Fremantle; Alessandro Volta, and others, reads as impeccable credentials for the Spring feature of the Melbourne Cup. She has been given time to acclimatise and is due to begin a Spring campaign in late August.
Trainers Title:
Lee Freedman 65 winners
Jockeys Title:
Craig Williams & Damien Oliver 71 winners
Apprentices Title:
Nick Hall 33 winners
Lee Freedman (and Miss Andretti)
(photo: Chris Bourchier)
Lee Freedman finished on 65 wins, and in defeating David Hayes (64 wins) he now has won the title on seven occasions.
Although this is a feat worthy of celebration I’m sure that Lee Freedman would swap this title for more success in the feature Group Races. The top two stables vying for the premiership had limited success in the feature races of last season. David Hayes gained Group One success with half-brothers Niconero and Nicconi.
The Hayes and Freedman stables have held prominence in Victorian racing for many years, but it is the feature race successes of the smaller (small only in scale when compared to Hayes and Freedman) stables of Mick Price, Peter Moody, Danny O’Brien, and Mark Kavanagh, that seem to dominate the press and feature races come the Melbourne Spring and Autumn. Last racing year Mick Price trained more Group One winners than any other trainer - and he still retains many of those stars for the coming season. While Peter Moody has built up an exciting team of potential ‘superstars’ headed by Black Caviar and Typhoon Tracy, but also including Reward For Effort and Wanted. Mark Kavanagh will be represented by the perennial Maldivian, but also Whobegotyou, Sea Battle and Champagne Harmony. Danny O’Brien will have his flagship stayers Master O’Reilly and Barbaricus - but also up and coming sprinting star Keano - to unleash onto the Spring stage.
I suppose winning a Trainers Premiership is similar to winning the ‘minor premiership’ in football and finishing on top of the ladder at seasons end - but not tasting the success, fame and glory of the (ultimate) Grand Final win. The workmanlike compilation of wins during the season soon forgotten by the fame and fact of the ultimate victory.
David Hayes will be hoping that the addition to his yard of talented staying mare Unsung Heroine from the UK may be able to provide another Group One winner this new season. Her second placing to champion stayer Conduit in the 2008 St Leger - beating home Oaks winner Look Here; Irish Derby winner Frozen Fire; Doctor Fremantle; Alessandro Volta, and others, reads as impeccable credentials for the Spring feature of the Melbourne Cup. She has been given time to acclimatise and is due to begin a Spring campaign in late August.
Trainers Title:
Lee Freedman 65 winners
Jockeys Title:
Craig Williams & Damien Oliver 71 winners
Apprentices Title:
Nick Hall 33 winners
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