Episode 499: Lee Freedman

The story of the Freedman era is one of racing’s all time best - four enthusiastic young brothers who made an amazing journey from the family stud farm at Yass to the establishment of a Victorian based training powerhouse. Lee held sway as trainer with Anthony, Richard and Michael handling crucial roles in the background. Together they had an enormous impact on Australian racing for three decades. Lee won seven Melbourne trainer’s premierships and was runner up six times. Today the boys are all training under their own banners with Lee opting for a much quieter life on the Gold Coast. The former leader of the FBI was very gracious with his time on this week’s podcast. He begins by berating his talents as a golfer. Lee talks about his current 31 horse team, a fraction of the number he trained in the busiest days of the FBI. He talks of the wide choice of race meetings he has from his Gold Coast base. Lee takes us back to early days at Hardwicke Stud near Yass, where he and his siblings gained sound education under the supervision of father Tony. He delights in telling the story of his first win as a trainer with a quirky but very talented grey called Sitting Bull. It was hard to keep news of the horse’s talent under wraps.  Lee says his training career actually began at Warwick Farm. He looks back on a relocation to Flemington and a mare called Sauna - the daughter of Loosen Up who put the Freedmans on the map. Lee hasn’t forgotten the thrill of a maiden Gr 1 win. He reflects on the rapid rise of the FBI and the simple theory he had about stress management. We needed to get started on Lee’s reminiscences of the many wonderful horses to come through the Freedman operation. Who better to begin with than the incomparable Makybe Diva. She arrived in the Freedman camp having won 8 races for David Hall including her first Melbourne Cup. Lee recalls his expectations.  He reflects on his first win with the mighty mare, the 2004 Melbourne Cup. The trainer recalls the mare’s dominance in the autumn and spring of 2005, and the memorable comments he made in a TV interview after her third Cup win- comments which have passed into folklore. Lee gives his view on why she was such an athlete. The great trainer looks back on wonderful journeys with crowd favourites Subzero and Doriemus, two more Melbourne Cup winners. It’s not hard to tell Super Impose was one of Lee’s great favourites. He shares some special memories. Lee puts into words his  enormous admiration for Naturalism.  The list of good horses to pass through the Freedman’s hands is seemingly endless. He sings the praises of Mahogany and Schillaci. The Golden Slipper was a mighty race for the Freedmans in the 1990’s. Lee talks about their four consecutive wins in the famous two year old race. Durbridge is another marvellous horse to get the thumbs up from his former trainer. The legendary trainer will surprise some when he says his greatest racetrack thrill came outside Australia. He looks back on his Royal Ascot journey with Miss Andretti. Lee used some of Australia’s greatest jockeys during the golden years of the Freedman reign. He’s prepared to single one of them out for special praise.  He speaks with pride of daughters Emma and Georgia. Lee pays tribute to his greatest ever supporter, late mother Del who passed just two years ago. He pays tribute to Anthony, Richard and Michael who have each forged great individual careers. A podcast with Lee Freedman is long overdue. We’re delighted to finally get it done.