Race a filly by So You Think

RACE A FILLY BY SO YOU THINK

Associated Bloodstock's first public offer

Mark Greenup from Associated Bloodstock selected this filly out of the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale in January.   Greenup was believed the filly would develop into a lovely three-year-old that maybe be suited over distances from 1300 m. to 1600 m.

A medium sized, brown filly that displayed a casual attitude during the sales inspection and preparation process with those qualities contributing to Greenup retaining a 10% share in the filly.

Now two-years-old, as of August 1st, it’s well worth while reflecting on the sire's attributes.   By So You Think was one of those horses that came to prominence only at his fifth career start in 2009,  during his classic season winning Australia’s premier weight-for-age race the Group 1 W S Cox Plate (2040 m.).

A brown / bay son of High Chaparral out of Triassic, then won the race a second time the following season at just his tenth career start in 2010.  By that stage So You Think was the most popular galloper in Australia, starting favourite in the 150th running of the VRC’s Melbourne Cup, after a three-and-a-quarter length win in the Club’s Group 1 MacKinnon Stakes (2000 m.) some three-days earlier, the good-looking athletic horse finished third behind Americain.

Trained by Australian Hall of Fame member Bart Cummings, So You Think won five races at the highest level under his guidance, after the horses’ gallant effort in the 2010 Melbourne Cup connections were made an offer that was too good to be turned down and the horses’ ownership was transferred to Coolmore Stud. The breeding empire then sent the four-year-old to their northern hemisphere stable to join the team under their retained trainer, Aidan O’Brien.  At careers end, So You Think had recorded many accolades including Champion 3YO Colt & Older Miler in Australia for the 2009-10 & 2010-11 along with Ireland’s Champion Older Horse in 2011 & 2012, before being inducted into the Australian Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2019.

Not enough?  Valid Contract retired to stud with more than $164,000 in earnings after recording wins as a two-year-old, three-year-old, and four-year-old from 22 starts.

Valid Contract is out of the Listed Angst Handicap (1400 m.) winner Prenuptial (by Take Your Partner) and is one of the mares five winners. Prenuptial is in-turn out of the stake’s winner Deal (by Yeats) a sister to the Group 3 Hong Kong International Bowl winner Winning Partners (raced in Australia as: In The Cards) as well as a half-sister to Moonah Brooke (by Kingdom Bay) winner of the Group 3 Tasmanian Derby.

Valid Contract’s first live foal by Hinchinbrook, now four-years-old that has been named Brook’s Girl owns a record of three placings, another daughter by More Than Ready named Completion, three-years-old has only faced the starter three-times.

This Horse Racing Syndicate will be managed by Mark Greenup from Associated Bloodstock.

The racing and breeding industries have been David Lee Freedman's life, since his father Tony (Anthony) took up breeding and training after retiring as a property developer in New South Wales.  Educated at The Scots College, Freedman dropped out of the Australian National University to join his father to work and eventually run the family’s stud near Yass.

Freedman’s career changed with a decision to branch out as a trainer setting up stables at Warwick Farm, with a small team of horses with his brother Anthony as the Foreman.  Not long after they moved interstate and they found success with a bay filly by Loosen Up, Sauna (ex Ardennes) winning the MVRC Group 3 Leilani Stakes (1200 m.). Sauna trained-on to finish runner-up in the Group 1 VATC 1000 Guineas (1600 m.) It was in 1982 that Lee trained, his first winner at the elite level when Miss Clipper (Alert – Right Wind) defeated Canny Lass in the SAJC Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000 m.).

Seven years on Freedman landed the 1989 VRC Group 1 Melbourne Cup with Tawrrific (Tawfiq – Jovarty) under the guidance of Shane Dye. Then through an amazing period from 1992 the brothers saddled up the Group 1 winning Super Impose (Imposing – Pheroz Fancy), Naturalism (Palace Music – Zephyr Souba), Subzero (Kala Dancer – Wiley Trade), Encosta de Lago (Fairy King – Shoal Creek) and Doriemus (Norman Pentaquad – Golden Woods).

Not long after the 2000 Melbourne Cup Carnival, Freedman decided to change his training set-up again with his brother Richard buying a piece of land, near Rye, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula the brothers set the property up in a manner that reinvigorated the operation. The likes of Alinghi (Encosta de Lago – Oceanfast), Special Harmony (Spinning World – Marooned Lady), Mummify (Jeune – Cleopatras Girl), and the champion mare Makybe Diva (Desert King – Tugela).

Freedman took over the training of Makybe Diva in 2004, after David Hall left to take up a position in Hong Kong. Freedman nurtured the mare into superstar that became fondly known as ‘The Diva’ winning a BMW, an Australian Cup, a Cox Plate, and the VRC’s iconic Melbourne Cup on two more occasions taking The Diva’s tally to three wins which has never been done in more than 160 years of the race.  Fittingly, The Diva retired after winning her third Melbourne Cup in November 2005.

In 2003, Lee Freedman joined the ranks of Australia's all-time greats when he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.  In 2006, Freedman was regarded as Victoria's premier trainer, and along with Bart Cummings, Gai Waterhouse, David Hayes and John Hawkes, among Australia's best.

More recently, in mid-2017 Freedman moved to Singapore to train there, taking over the stables of the outing Laurie Laxon.   Partly due to COVID-19 and its horrid affects on racing in Singapore, Freedman decided to return to Australia last year setting up his new base at the Gold Coast.

Associated Bloodstock’s Mark Greenup is thrilled to support Freedman nominating the Hall of Famer as Trainer.  Freedman has already begun chalking up winners for connections of horses out of his new base which has pleased, Greenup..