Hall of Fame trainer Lee Freedman returns to racing’s big stage as Soothsayer attempts to lift the Magic Millions Guineas on the Gold Coast.
Freedman is best known for training Makybe Diva to two of her Melbourne Cups, a race he won five times. He has been back in Queensland training for just over a year after a stint in Singapore, and $20,000 purchase Soothsayer is the star as it looks for a fairytale win on his home track on Saturday.
Lee Freedman with the Melbourne CupCredit:Rebecca Hallas
“It is good to have a horse like him in a $2 million Guineas in our first year back here,” Freedman said. “It’s great for Dream Thoroughbreds, who have been good supporters of mine to have a horse like him in their colours on Magic Millions day.”
Freedman has let Soothsayer find his feet early in his career and he has put together with a hat-trick of wins to race into contention for the Guineas.
He is a $9 Guineas hope as he drops back in trip to the 1400m after a strong win over a mile at Doomben on Christmas Eve, and has a racing style that will suit the Gold Coast track.
“He is a very honest horse and we find out if he is good enough on Saturday,” Freedman said. “He is tough and if the track is playing to leaders like it did on Saturday that will be to his advantage.”
Russian Conquest, the Magic Millions Classic runner-up from last year, is the $5 favourite for the Guineas after she was a charging second in the Gosford Guineas.
Emerging Queenslander Yellow Brick is the $6 second pick after winning the King Of Mountain slots race at Toowoomba on New Year’s Eve.
Hogan’s impact continues
The influence of Sir Patrick Hogan on the Australasian breeding will continue into the future but leading bloodstock agent James Bester remembered the Cambridge Stud boss for revolutionising the industry.
Hogan died after a long illness aged 82 on Friday, and Bester labelled him “an absolute legend”.
Cambridge Stud was the benchmark for breeding under Hogan as he stood Sir Tristram, who produced 45 group 1 wins, and his best son Zabeel, who had 46 individual group 1 winners.
“Sir Patrick did things his own way but he set the standard for how things were done in this part of the world,” Bester said. “A lot of what you see here [at Magic Millions] is because of what Sir Patrick did.
“It was very hard to separate man and beast when it comes to him and Sir Tristram and Zabeel.
“He said that he would only stand Sir Tristram’s best son and waited a long time to find Zabeel and he was proven right.
“His DNA will continue to run through the bloodlines of horses for generations to come.”
Magic Millions keeps getting bigger
The Magic Millions carnival will continue to grow and expand over the next two years with the flagship Magic Millions Classic and the Magic Millions Guineas being lifted to $3 million races in 2024.
It has become one of the biggest weeks in Queensland every January and now also boosts polo and show jumping events as well as the yearling sales and races and is estimated to have a $42 million economic impact.
The Queensland government announced another $1 million Magic Millions two-year-old to be run under lights in May from 2024, when the Gold Coast track redevelopment will be completed, and along with several new races on Sunday.
In 2025, Magic Millions day will be preceded by an elite six-race card on the Friday night, which will feature a $3 million slot race for three-year-old over 1100m.
“The Magic Millions Carnival captures the imagination of racing fans across the globe, and we are unwavering in our commitment to maintain its standing amongst the nation’s premier racing events,” RQ Chairman Steve Wilson said.
“The Gold Coast Turf Club has solidified its position as one of the state’s most important training and racing facilities on the back of the $63 million upgrade that is presently underway, and that redevelopment has been a catalyst for the introduction of these program expansions.
“The incentive to buy, breed and back in the Sunshine State has never been better, and these innovations are a testament to the strength of the Queensland racing industry.
Red Resistance set for Rosehill debut
The focus might be on the Magic Millions day but Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will debut an interesting home-bred two-year-old Red Resistance at Rosehill on Saturday.
He is part of the harem of two-year-olds for Sir Owen Glenn and races in his silks, after the Russian Revolution colt out of Heatherly was withdrawn from the Inglis Easter Sale last year.
“He has had a couple of barrier trials and has shown signs of being very precocious,” Bott said. “We have a number of horses for Sir Owen and he bred this one and he is a lovely horse.
“It is a good place for him to start to see where he sits looking forward.”
Red Resistance has been asked to run out both his trials and won his most recent outing, running home his last 600m in 34.64 seconds.
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