6 days ago
Lee Freedman will take a step back from training to manage his brother Michael's new satellite stable on the Gold Coast
Five-time Melbourne Cup-winner Lee Freedman will take a step back from training to manage his younger brother Michael's newly announced satellite stable on the Gold Coast.
Michael says the 'time is right' to set up an operation consisting of about 30 stables on the Glitter Strip in partnership with his Hall of Fame trainer Lee Freedman, who will take up the role as stable manager.
From the new racing season starting on August 1, Michael Freedman will take over the stables currently occupied by Lee.
'I'll be looking to set up a satellite stable on the Gold Coast,' Sydney trainer Michael Freedman said.
'It's still in the process of being approved (by Racing Queensland) but hopefully next week it'll be finalised.
'I'm looking to send quite a few horses from Sydney up there all-year round to race, ideally in those mid-week and Saturday races.
'It gives me a base for Magic Millions, which is an important carnival now, and helps for the Brisbane winter as well because it's always very difficult to find stabling when you do bring horses up there.
'I think the timing is right and I'm looking forward to it.'
Freedman said he was still 'working through' the new arrangement with his 68-year-old brother Lee, who has been training at the Gold Coast since March 2021.
'I think the timing's right and Lee and I had a good meeting about it yesterday (Thursday),' he said.
'I wouldn't probably be even contemplating this if Lee wasn't involved.
'Given that he's at a point where he's happy to be doing something along those lines, then it works well for me.'
Freedman is following in the footsteps of Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller, who also runs a satellite stable on the Gold Coast.
In the late 1980s, Michael joined his three older brothers Lee, Anthony and Richard to form a highly successful training partnership that prepared more than 100 Group 1 winners, including five Melbourne Cup champions and four consecutive Golden Slipper winners.
Michael spent almost a decade in Singapore and a brief stint in Hong Kong before branching out on his own at Randwick in April 2022 following a partnership with brother Richard which saw the two combine to win the 2021 Golden Slipper with Stay Inside.
The highlight of his solo training career came last March when filly Marhoona won the Golden Slipper at Rosehill, just six weeks after making her debut at Canterbury.
Michael said he planned to visit the Sunshine State more often once his new operation on the Gold Coast was fully established.
'I'll be looking to come up (to Queensland) a bit more during the year at various times,' he said.
'Certainly winter carnival and Magic Millions will be a key focus for me.
'We've got a couple of horses up there already that might run next Saturday and we'll start to trickle a few more up over the course of the next few weeks.'
Gold Coast Turf Club boss Steve Lines said he was delighted to welcome a trainer of Freedman's calibre.
'Michael Freedman is one of the country's most respected horsemen and his decision to set up a stable here is a huge vote of confidence in what the Gold Coast has to offer,' Lines said.
'He joins a strong and growing cohort of top-tier trainers calling the Gold Coast home and will only further strengthen the quality of horses we have racing at the Gold Coast, given Michael's association with Godolphin and other prominent owners.'
