The Red, Purple Sash, White Sleeves, Purple Cap of the Freedman clan have been carried to success in many big races in Australia and overseas.
They were the colours when Lee Freedman and his brothers Anthony, Richard and Michael were the FBI and a force to be reckoned with during the late 1980’s through to the mid-2000’s before they slowy drifted into different spheres.
The brothers are all back training in different parts of the country and some of their sons, think Anthony and Sam, and now Richard and Will, have also joined their fathers in training careers.
Richard and Will Freedman, who train out of Rosehill, sent Coastwatch south to Sandown for the Listed John Dillon Stakes (1400m) on Saturday where the gelding carried the family’s silks to victory.
Will Freedman believes it was his first winner in the silks since joining his father in partnership.
“The colours, they still win plenty down here,” Will Freedman said at Sandown.
“I’m not sure that I’ve actually had a winner in them before but I’m very proud of what the family has achieved over a long period of time and what Sam is achieving.
“I’m only just starting to put my name to the silks.”
Coastwatch was having his first start in the family’s colours having recently undergone an ownership change.
Well supported in betting and ridden by Damian Lane, Coastwatch ($3.50) scored by a length from the $3.10 betting site favourite Chorlton Lane with the tearaway leader Buffalo River ($4.80) the same margin away third.
Coastwatch trailed the solid pace set by Buffalo River and Freedman said he was content during the race.
“I would have been worried if it had been a genuine sit and sprint,” Freedman said.
“He’s rock hard fit and he gets better as he gets deeper into his prep and when he got to the bend, I thought we may have been carting the field up and giving something a trail, but he gave a good kick at the 300 metres and was able to put them away and was able to hold them.”
Longterm, Freedman would like to see Coastwatch in Brisbane during the winter for a tilt at the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
“He’s a good handicap horse,” Freedman said.
“We’ll have to plot a path to that race, but if there is a suitable race down here for him during the autumn, then we may give him another one.”
