Results over the last month confirm that Hall Of Fame trainer Lee Freedman’s stable at the Gold Coast is now starting to gather real momentum with Freedman having produced six winners from fifteen runners over the last thirty days … a telling forty percent winning strike rate.
It was always going to be a relatively slow, understandable ‘settling in’ start when Freedman returned to Australia from Singapore to set up his new base but, clearly, now it is systems go and nobody needs any reminder of the kind of magic the five-time Melbourne Cup winner can weave when he finds a good horse.
And it does look like he has got a little bit to work with here.
Giulia, the stable’s latest winner who won at Ipswich on Wednesday, was winning for the second time in three starts for Freedman since transferring from Ron Quinton. He Is can claim an even better record for the stable being unbeaten in two starts since transferring from Mark Kavanagh, although he has been beaten several times in his overall career, while Yiska can boast an absolute perfect record having won both of his first two starts with comfortable ease.
In fact, there will be a good degree of focus on Yiska at Doomben on Saturday when Freedman sends the two-year-old Smart Missile gelding into action for the third time in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap over 1200m.
With only two runs under his belt, it is, of course, far too early to know what Yiska might become, but the early signs … two, facile wins … have been very positive.
Tegan Harrison, who has ridden Yiska to both victories, as well as in a trial win before his first start, is cautiously optimistic about Yiska’s chances on Saturday, but she was also quick to point out that Yiska is a two-year-old still learning what racing is all about.
‘If you watch his trial, you’ll see he knew nothing at all in the trial,” said Harrison. ‘He got a long way last and, although he did end up winning that trial, he was always going to be a risk at his first start on how much he knew.”
Yiska did win on debut over 1000m by a comfortable 2.30 length margin.
“I was blessed with a good draw last time when he stepped up in class and distance (from 1000m to 1200m) and that really helped me to win the race because I was able to work Annabel Neasham’s horse (Bohemian Daisy … who was Yisha’s market rival on the day) a little bit.
The winning margin this time around was a comfortable 2.50 lengths.
“On Saturday he (Yiska) is drawn wider so this time they may be able to make him work, so we’ll see what he has really got.
“Being a two-year-old, you just don’t know how long you have him for this time in. This is his third run in this preparation and it is his hardest task.
“The horse definitely has the ability, but he is still learning, that’s all.”
Yiska currently tops the betting boards for the Doomben contest at $2.50, ahead of Accebar ($5.50) and Bohemian Daisy (who meets Yiska 2kg better off at the weights this time) and Clairvue Molly, who are both quoted at $6.50.
