As the Queensland Winter Carnival looms, Team Freedman is gearing up for a potential return to the spotlight with two of its standout performers—Without A Fight and Isthmus—while also planning the next phase for a couple of their other stable residents.
Without A Fight, the 2023 Melbourne Cup champion, hasn’t raced since finishing 12th in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase in December. But according to co-trainer Sam Freedman, the seasoned stayer is showing all the right signs as he builds toward a winter comeback.
“He’s fresh and well,” Freedman said. “We’ll trial him in the next couple of weeks and just see where he’s at. He owes us nothing, so if he doesn’t trial well, he won’t run.”
A return to Brisbane could see the eight-year-old clash with Pride Of Jenni, a prospect Freedman isn’t ruling out. “If he does come up, he might head to Queensland again. He really enjoyed it up there last time,” Freedman noted.
It was during last year’s Queensland campaign that Without A Fight stamped himself as a top-tier stayer, taking out the Lord Mayors Cup and The Q22—both key preludes to his Melbourne Cup heroics.
Though he’ll be nine years old by the spring, the team hasn’t closed the door on another Cups campaign.
“If his form warrants it, we’d love to have another go at the spring,” said Freedman. “But he’ll tell us.”
Meanwhile, Isthmus, the talented mare who claimed the Group 3 Furphy Sprint on Victoria Derby Day, is back in work after missing the autumn due to an entrapped epiglottis.
“She’s moving freely now and seems over the issue,” Freedman confirmed. “We didn’t want to rush her back for something like the Robert Sangster. Queensland might be a better fit.”
The team is targeting sprint races in the Sunshine State for the lightly raced four-year-old, who has already shown a sharp turn of foot at elite level.
Also under the microscope is Henlein, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Magic Time, who failed to fire in his recent starts.
“He’s a horse with talent, but mentally he’s not there yet,” said Freedman. “We’ll give him a break, geld him, and hopefully bring him back in a better frame of mind.”
Henlein will be spelled for three months while the Freedmans hope the gelding procedure helps him settle and fulfill his potential.
In staying news, Point King, owned by Lloyd Williams, is nearing a return to training. The Irish-bred stayer hasn’t raced since finishing second in the Bart Cummings in the spring but is expected to target the Cups again this year.
“He’s had a nice break, and we’ll start building him up soon,” Freedman added. “He’s a genuine stayer, and we think he can be competitive in the spring.”
