Wednesday Racing: Double delight for Freedman at Randwick

Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Freedman celebrates a double in Sydney

Michael Freedman oversaw a classy double at Randwick, achieving the feat in the first two races on the card.

Colophon (Written Tycoon) started the satisfying afternoon with a 0.35l win in Race 1 over 1400 metres, with Regan Bayliss aboard. It was an all-the-way victory for the 3-year-old gelding, notching up his first salute from four starts, digging in admirably from the 200-metre mark as runner-up Polymnia (Dundeel {NZ}) closed in.

“He worked really well, and Regan got him into a nice position. He probably jumped a little better than we expected him to,” stable representative Sophie Johnson said.

“He was quite forward, but we wanted him to be. Regan made the choice to dictate and it worked really well in his favour.”

Colophon was a $240,000 purchase by Michael Freedman Racing from Daandine Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is out of stakes placed winner Viennese Star (I Am Invincible) from the family of Hinchinbrook.

Colophon’s famous father Written Tycoon has sired 64 stakes winners. He has produced three new individual G1 winners in 2024 alone, including two G1-winning juveniles, Golden Slipper heroine Lady Of Camelot and Sistema S. victrix, Velocious.

Australia’s Leading First-Season Sire in 2010-11, and Leading Sire of Two-Year-Olds in 2015-16 and again in 2023-2024, many of the sons of the former Australian Champion Sire are now forging their own careers at stud, including Leading First-Season Sire Capitalist, Rich Enuff, Winning Rupert, Written By and Ole Kirk.

Spanish Fox brings up the double

Freedman’s 4-year-old Spanish Fox’s (Toronado {Ire}) win in the Race 2 BM64 H. over 1250 metres was by a comprehensive 3.16l, with apprentice Zac Wadick aboard. The gelding dictated the race, registering his third victory from 10 starts, which includes four runner-up placings.

Wednesday was his third salute in a row.

“He’s been a pillar of consistency from the beginning, and he came through a lot of seconds,” Johnson said. “He took a while to knock the monkey off his back, and there’s been no stopping him since.”

Spanish Fox’s father Toronado (Ire) has produced 562 winners, with 39 at stakes level, for over $93 million in prizemoney.

Spanish Fox is the first winner for winning mare Foxlago (Foxwedge), a 5/8th relative to Group 1 winner and sire Rothesay. Spanish Fox was purchased for $320,000 by Michael Freedman Racing/Julian Blaxland Bloodstock from Newgate Farm at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.

Saint Aubins has hot future as a stayer

Saint Aubins (NZ) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) looks to have a strong future as a stayer after his classy 0.5l win in Race 2 over 1423 metres for 3-year-old maidens at Sale. Jockey Blake Shinn has a high opinion of the gelding, who he believes had the race won at the 200-metre mark for top Melbourne trainer Ciaron Maher.

“He had the race won at the 200 (metres), but he was just floating when he was in front on his own when the job was done,” Shinn told racing.com. “Nice horse, well bred, good owners, so it was good to get the win.”

Out of Fastnet Rock mare Orphea, Saint Aubins was a NZ$130,000 purchase by Ciaron Maher Racing from Cambridge Stud at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale Book 1.

Orphea had two wins from 15 starts in New Zealand and has already been represented at stakes level with Outovstock (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), a winner of the G3 Manawatu Classic in April this year. The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Deep Field named Divine Secrets and a yearling by Savabeel. She is due to foal to Dundeel (NZ) this spring.

Too Darn Hot (GB), whose second crop Australian-bred yearlings sold up to $1.9 million this year, is the sire of eight first-crop Southern Hemisphere winners, five of which are stakes-performed headed by Godolphin homebred and three-time Group 1 winner Broadsiding.

Ciaron Maher stable representative Adrian Joyce said Saint Aubins was ready to step up as a competitive stayer over 2000 metres.

“He was very good to the line. Looking at that run you’d say definitely he’s going to be a 2000-metre horse,” he said.

“He’s going really well and he’s still learning his craft. He’s very chilled out. He’s a nice horse. It’s key to them because they just keep their energy.”

Extremely Hardys has very high potential

Extremely Hardys (Extreme Choice) lived up to her name and worked extremely hard to hold off Seascape (I Am Invincible) by 0.44l to win Race 6 at BM72 level over 1250 metres at Randwick.

An impressive 6.04l winner over 1200 metres on debut at Canterbury on July 3, the filly looks to be another one to watch for Extreme Choice, who is the sire of recent G3 Gimcrack S. winner Bell Merci.

Bred by Kingstar Farm, Extremely Hardys was a $300,000 buy for Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller Racing from the Newgate Farm draft at the 2023 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, and now represents Huashan Investments

A half-sister to the stakes-placed Remorseless (Written Tycoon), she was the fourth winner from as many to race for More Than Ready (USA) mare Killcareless.

Killcareless is a daughter of the stakes-placed Climatic (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}), a half-sister to Group winners Precious Lorraine (Encosta De Lago) and Lucky Raquie (Encosta De Lago) from the Monsoon Wedding (Danehill {USA}) branch of the famous family of Redoute’s Choice.

She has a 2-year-old by Cosmic Force, now named Maddie's Comet, who was purchased at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year for $100,000. Killcareless missed to Captivant in 2022 and has since produced another filly foal by Cosmic Force last month.

Ridden by James McDonald for Chris Waller, Extremely Hardys went straight to the lead.

Despite I Am Invincible filly Seascape pressuring her late, she held on and broke clear to win by half a length as the $1.85 favourite.

Waller stable representative Charlie Duckworth has a high opinion of Extremely Hardys, but with two wins from two starts he wasn't getting too caught up in her potential after the race.

“She’s done a good job progressing from last prep to this one and will strip fitter for today so then we can work out exactly where she measures up,” he said.

“She was highly spoken of after her debut performance where she was very dominant on that Heavy track that day, but we don’t get too carried away. We’ll just place her right and see where we can get to.”

Zouatica eyes off The Big Dance after big win at Randwick

Zouatica (Zoustar) put his name up as a Big Dance contender after his 1.76l win in the Race 4 BM78 Handicap over 1400 metres at Randwick. It was a classy all-the-way victory from the 5-year-old gelding for Barbara Joseph, Paul and Matt Jones, with Adam Hyeronimus aboard.

It was a strong bounce back from Zouatica’s last start, where he finished fifth while first-up in the $110,000 The Panorama at Benchmark 85 Handicap level at Bathurst on September 15.

“Everything that could’ve gone wrong went wrong (last start),” co-trainer Paul Jones said. “He was in the barriers due to some vet checks on other horses, and he just missed the start. In quite a high-pressure race, and once he got revved up, he never came back. I was proud of him in the last 200 (metres) that day at Bathurst.

“He’s really worked on since then, and his coat is now 90 per cent right, so bring on the Five Diamonds Prelude (on October 26) or Big Dance Race Day (on November 5) and he’ll be 100 per cent then.”

Joseph & Jones Racing bought Zouatica for just $40,000 from Torryburn Stud at the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.

Wednesday was his sixth win from 15 starts, now with $271,975 in prizemoney, and he now has $34 winning odds for the $3 million The Big Dance over a mile.

Zoustar is a sire of 54 individual stakes winners, with over $114 million in progeny earnings, with Group 1 winners including Zougotcha, Climbing Star, Sunlight, Ozzmosis, Joliestar, Mizzy, Lezoo and Zoutori.

Zouatica’s dam, Axiomatic (O’Reilly {NZ}) has produced seven-race winner This'llbetheone (Exceed And Excel) as her first foal, and Zouatica is her second foal. Axiomatic - winner of two races - is a half-sister to Group 1 winner and sire Xtravagant (NZ) and his full brother Group 3 winner He's Remarkable (NZ) (Pentire {GB}).

Pierata’s Gem shines bright at Doomben

Pierata’s Gem (Pierata) gamely held off runner-up Kettlebell (Power {GB}) by 0.06l to win Race 3 for 3-year-olds over 1350 metres at Doomben, and signal that she could well have a bright future.

After being presented with a beautiful run and shooting through to the lead at the turn, she then showed good heart to hold off a fast-finishing Kettlebell and have her nose in front at the post for Chris and Corey Munce.

Pierata’s Gem if from Yulong's second-season sire Pierata who has sired 44 runners for 13 winners, two at stakes level, for $2,333,825 in total prizemoney.

Picked up for $70,000 by Luinn from Carrington Park Stud at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Pierata’s Gem looked in fine condition with Martin Harley aboard yesterday.

The filly's dam, Canny Time (Canny Lad), previously produced the two-time winner Dazzle Legend (Zoustar). In 2022, she slipped to King's Legacy but returned to him the following year, producing a colt who is now a yearling. Most recently, she foaled a colt by Brave Smash (Jpn) in August.

French Endeavour set for journey through the grades

There was no doubting that French Endeavour (Rubick) deserved her $2.70 favouritism going into the Race 3 Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1400 metres at Randwick, and she didn’t let the backers down, winning by 1.71l.

The 4-year-old took the lead at the 200-metre mark and wasn’t headed from there, going on to claim her third victory from 15 starts for Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith, with star jockey James McDonald aboard.

The mare now with $217,175 in prizemoney to her name has registered competitive runner-up, fourth, third and fifth-place finishes in G3 Vanity, G2 Kewney S., G3 PJ Bell S. and G3 Hawkesbury Guineas starts this year.

A homebred for Grahame Mapp’s Hobartville Stud, French Endeavour is the third winner from five to race for the Anabaa (USA) mare French News, who is a half-sister to Breaking News (Brief Truce), whose five stakes wins were highlighted by the G3 WJ Healy Stakes.

This is a famous Hobartville family descending from Light Of Peace (Light Wind), the dam of Golden Slipper winner Star Watch, Listed winner Apollo’s Flame and G2 Theo Marks stakes runner-up Clear Apollo, the dam of Breaking News.

Smith was relieved French Endeavour could get back in the winner’s circle after a testing last preparation. “I was really pleased. A bit frustrating last preparation – we copped a few bad tracks. She’s been in some better races and she’s run very well, but I just wanted to give her a bit of confidence first couple of runs back and see if we could get her in the winner’s circle, and then go back to some better races.”

Oxford Blue ready to go further in distance after 2l win

Cranbourne trainer Julius Sandhu believes Oxford Blue (Fiorente {Ire}) has the staying ability and temperament to be a Geelong Cup contender after his comfortable 2l win in the Race 4 Maiden Plate over 1740 metres at Sale.

By 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente (Ire), 3-year-old gelding Oxford Blue also appears to have some nice staying attributes.

In his second start after finishing third and a neck behind G2 Manifold S. winner Too Darn Discreet (Too Darn Hot {GB}) on debut at Sandown on September 18, Oxford Blue showed impressive stamina to extend his lead inside the final 150 metres.

This left a good impression on Sandhu. “Good to see him get to the front, lead and still kick away like that,” he said. “He’s only getting warmer with this trip, and we’ll see what happens next.

“We’ll take him home and we’ll make sure he’s right, pulls up good and does everything right back home, and them potentially head to Geelong Cup Day.

“I think he’ll lap it up (2400 metres in the Geelong Cup). He’s just a horse looking for a trip, and the 1700 is probably the start of the trip he’s looking for.”

Oxford Blue's dam Stockpin (NZ) (Pins) has also produced Oxford Blue's full sister Florent in 2016, also by Fiorente, who won the VOBIS Sires Guineas in 2020. This is the family of G1 Queensland Oaks winner Provocative (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).

Sandhu is impressed with Oxford Blue’s staying temperament. “The further he goes the better he’ll get. He’s just a super-relaxed animal, and for a stayer that’s a key attribute. Rapt at the way he’s gone about it today. He’s the consummate professional, and hopefully he pulls up well back home and we’ll go back to Geelong. He’ll take some serious improvement from this.”

Bahen Bloodstock Ltd purchased Oxford Blue as a weanling for $160,000 from Blue Gum Farm at the 2022 Inglis Great Southern Sale, before being withdrawn as a yearling when he was catalogued by Vinery Stud for the 2023 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.