The Mitch Freedman juggernaut continues to roll on, with a winner at both Werribee and Cranbourne on Friday April 22.
Newcomer Smokin’ Soldier saluted in his stable debut at Werribee in the 1600m high weight maiden. Freedman has taken a careful approach with the 4yo gelding, heading back to the jump outs before returning to the races. This allowed Freedman to ‘work the horse out’ and find the right race to be competitive first-up for the stable. A great ride by Aaron Kuru saw Smokin’ Solider travel one out one back in a comfortable rhythm to finish off strong. In Kuru’s opinion “once he hit the front no horse was going to get past him.” A very pleasing result on debut, Freedman feels the horse will continue to improve out to 2000m in time. Eligible for 0-58 grade, the team is confident we will see Smokin’ Soldier in the winning circle again in the near future.
Elskling is a progressive young stayer and added her second career victory at Cranbourne, rounding out the double for the stable. Elskling relished the step up to 2000m for the first time and an intelligent ride from Tahlia Hope ensured Elskling was too good for her rivals in the six-horse field. Elskling justified her short price favouritism, with her natural ability carrying her to victory and qualifying her for the Sky Heights Stayers Series Final on Friday May 27. Freedman has stakes ambitions for the promising 3yo, with an eye on the South Australian Fillies Classic over 2500m on Saturday May 21.
With eight winners so far in April, the Freedman team have now recorded more winners than the 2020/2021 season with three months to go. “Friday was a rewarding day for the stable, it’s a credit to the staff and our facilities at Ballarat that new horses to the stable and those that have come through our system are performing the way they are.”
There really is no better time to get involved with our exciting young team, check out our horses available below.
https://mitchfreedmanracing.com.au/horses-available/
