Randwick Trainer MICHAEL FREEDMAN is now DYNAMIC

06 Dec 18

The role that Dynamic Syndications trainers play in developing horses to perform at an elite level of competition is essential.

Accordingly we are extremely pleased to announce that we have added MICHAEL FREEDMAN to our team - a trainer with vast experience and a proven track record.

MICHAEL FREEDMAN

A member of one of the most prominent families in Australian racing, Michael Freedman has returned to Sydney taking up stables at Randwick after highly successful careers in Singapore and Hong Kong and having punctuated those two Asian powerhouses with a 12 month stint in Sydney.

In Singapore, Michael was leading trainer in 2012 with 76 race wins and was a Top 5 Trainer in 7 of his 8 seasons.

When he returned to Sydney after Singapore, Michael continued to train winners at a 15% strike rate despite his stable being predominately unraced youngsters. It was from this crop of youngsters that he uncovered stakes winning fillies Teaspoon and Frolic.

His career of extensive and ongoing success at Group Race level, his track record with quality horses across the world, the long-time loyalty of his Owners, his ability to operate across multiple and varied training environments, his international experience and his personal integrity all added up to identify Michael Freedman as being an exceptional talent who will be able to deliver racetrack success for our Dynamic Syndications Ownership Teams.

MICHAEL FREEDMAN

Michael Freedman has trained for a wide clientele of Owners including international entities such as Arrowfield Stud, Coolmore Stud and Japanese titan Katsumi Yoshida.

In addition to experience in Singapore and Hong Kong he has campaigned horses in Dubai.

In 2011, Michael Freedman trained Better Be The One to run third by a neck in the Gr2 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.

Whilst in 2012, he took Singapore twice Horse of the Year “Super Easy” to race in Hong Kong.

The MICHAEL FREEDMAN and EDWARD O’ROURKE Training Partnership

MICHAEL FREEDMAN returns to Randwick - November 2018

Michael Freedman decided to hand-in his Hong Kong Training Licence and return to Randwick in November 2018, due to his wife Anna and he missing their children who are in boarding school.

Michael said he returned to Sydney but before leaving applied to train in partnership with his previous foreman Edward O'Rourke who took over training many of Freedman’s horses at Randwick once he departed for Hong Kong.

Racing NSW has confirmed the licensing committee approved the partnership and that it has commenced.

The 50-year-old Freedman issued a statement in Hong Kong to announce his intent to leave which took everyone by surprise. Michael said he and his wife Anna would be returning home after he has his last Hong Kong runner on November 10. Fittingly, that horse won !

"Anna and I have decided to return to Australia to be closer to our children," Freedman said.

"While we have enjoyed the challenges of training in Hong Kong, we feel it is in the best interests of our family to return home. I am grateful to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for the opportunity.

"I am really looking forward to settling back in Sydney where racing is in a fantastic period of growth and progression."

The youngest of the four Freedman brothers (who are all trainers), Michael Freedman spent eight successful years training 468 Winners in Singapore and 2 in Malaysia before returning to Australia in early 2016.

During his time in Singapore, Freedman trained 38 Stakes Winners including 8 Group 1 Winners including twice Singapore Horse of the Year - Super Easy.

Freedman returned to base himself in Sydney, a shift that saw the youngest of the famous Freedman brothers take up stables originally at Rosehill before transferring to Randwick.

Freedman said that during his time in Singapore, he regularly inquired about whether there were openings coming up at the Hong Kong Jockey Club and he did so again before deciding to set up back in Australia.

“It was a long-held ambition and as I was moving anyway, I thought it best to see if the move could be to Hong Kong but I was told at that time there was no opening, so Sydney it was.”

“So it wasn’t part of the plan when I left Singapore to go to Hong Kong. I wasn’t even sure about it when the Hong Kong Jockey Club asked if I was still interested, especially with a few nice two-year-olds starting to go well in Sydney and things coming together nicely.”

“I hesitated but the more I thought about it, the more I asked myself the question whether I would be disappointed if I said no and the chance to train in Hong Kong was gone forever, the more I realised I would be disappointed.”

Michael admitted he would have “lived to regret it” if he did not accept an offer to train in Hong Kong.

“To be given a chance to train in Hong Kong is such an amazing opportunity,’’ he said.

“I’m mindful I had only been back in Sydney a year and was just starting to get things going but you have to make calls in life you feel are the right ones.

“I weighed everything up and felt if I didn’t take this chance then I would live to regret it.’’

In Hong Kong, Michael Freedman had the smallest number of horses of any trainer with only 28 in training however he did produced 18 Winners.

Dynamic Syndications have several horses with Michael’s brother Richard Freedman and will also be supporting Michael Freedman with proven gallopers and yearling purchases.

The FBI (Freedman Brothers Incorporated)

Yesteryear ~ Michael, Lee, Richard, Anthony ~ the FBI

Michael Freedman’s eldest brother and Hall Of Fame Trainer Lee Freedman is now training in Singapore while Anthony is training at Flemington and Richard is at Rosehill.

Collectively they used to train together in a family partnership known as the FBI (Freedman Brothers Incorporated) in the era when Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva was the stable star before the brothers went their separate ways.

Born to a racing family, Michael is the youngest of the brothers.

Lee and Anthony began their career at Warwick Farm in 1983, before moving to Flemington one year later. They met with great success in Melbourne, notching their first Group 1 winner Miss Clipper in the SAJC Australasian Oaks in 1986.

Michael joined the FBI in 1988. The brothers went on to dominate some of Australia’s biggest races over two decades, with the pinnacle being five Melbourne Cups. Freedman Brothers Incorporated won the “race that stops a nation” the first time in 1989 with Tawrrific, then in 1992 with Subzero and 1995 with Doriemus before claiming two of the three wins by star mare Makybe Diva in 2003 and 2004.

Lee, Richard, Michael, Anthony - the FBI

They also captured four consecutive Golden Slippers between 1993 and 1996 with Bint Marscay, Danzero, Flying Spur and Merlene, four Caulfield Cups and two Cox Plates.

The FBI won 120 Group 1 races, including one overseas, the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup with Mummify in 2005.

The FBI also landed the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot with Miss Andretti in 2007 before the race was upgraded to Group 1 status.

FBI dissolved when Michael moved to Singapore, Lee decided to have a break, Richard went into the media and racing administration, whilst Anthony remained training in Victoria.

O’Rourke and Freedman Training Partnership – November 2018

The old are new again when Michael Freedman and Edward O’Rourke unveiled their training partnership.

Edward O'Rourke is Michael Freedman's co-Trainer

The O’Rourke and Freedman partnership was rubber-stamped by the Racing NSW licensing committee in November 2018.

It was always assured given Michael Freedman’s international experience and success and a previous successful stint in Sydney 18 months earlier which produced 15 winners including a couple of 2yo Stakes Winners: Teaspoon and Frolic (who was runner-up to She Will Reign in the Golden Slipper).

Michael Freedman will be Head Trainer with Edward O’Rourke being co-trainer.

It is somewhat of a reunion for the pair with O’Rourke having worked as Freedman’s stable foreman before the latter took up a training opportunity in Hong Kong.

Ed O’Rourke said: “We got on very well before and made a good team so it made sense to go into the partnership.”

Who is Michael Freedman?

Age: 50

Michael Freedman commenced his career in 1988, joining his three older brothers - Australian Racing Hall of Fame recipient Lee, Anthony and Richard - in their training business in Melbourne.

During the 20 years he worked in partnership with his brothers, the Freedman stable was one of Australia's most prominent, responsible for the winners of numerous Group races, including the Melbourne Cup on five occasions with four different horses, as well as four consecutive Golden Slipper winners.

In 2008 Freedman branched out to train in his own right when he was granted a licence to train in Singapore, winning 468 races in all at a strike rate of 15%.

His best galloper during that period was twice Singapore Horse of the Year - Super Easy.

It was that horse who provided the Freedman with his first Hong Kong experiences in the Gr2 Jockey Club Sprint and Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint in 2012.

In early 2016, Freedman returned to Australia, where his stable included Golden Slipper runner-up Frolic.

He was offered and accepted a position in Hong Kong at the start of the 2017/18 season.

Last season the Michael Freedman stable trained 14 winners in Hong Kong and this season he produced winners of 4 races, with the final winner being on his final day when Honest Way scored at Sha Tin on November 10.

Training Career Resume:

Wins Win % Place Place % Runners Prizemoney
503 14.3% 884 25.1% 3529 $35,984,330

HONG KONG RESULTS:
18 Wins, 29 Seconds, 24 Thirds & $23,925,800 HKD

2017/18 Season Review: (1/8/17 to 31/7/18)
14 Wins, 24 Seconds, 19 Thirds earnings $18,641,800 HKD

2018/19 Season Review: (1/8/18 to 10/11/18)
4 Wins, 5 Seconds, 5 Thirds earnings $5,284,000 HKD

468 Winners in Singapore

15 in NSW

2 in Malaysia

40 Stakes Winners:

8 x Gr1 (7 Singapore + 1 Malaysia)

8 x Gr2 (7 Singapore + 1 NSW)

24 x Gr3 (24 Singapore + 1 NSW)

Best 2 Horses in Singapore: SUPER EASY (14 wins); MR BIG (11 wins)

Super Easy

Notable Wins include:

Lion City Cup (2013 Super Easy),

Singapore Guineas (2012 Super Easy),

Raffles Cup (2009 Cheyenne Dancer, 2011 Always Certain, 2013 Super Ninetyseven),

Singapore Gold Cup (2013 Tropaios),

ATC Reisling Stakes Gr2 (2017 Frolic).

Dynamic Syndications have already placed horses into the care of the FREEDMAN / O'ROURKE Training Partnership and will be supporting the stables with yearling purchases at the 2019 sales.

Together the DYNAMIC / FREEDMAN~O'ROURKE Partnership look forward to many visits to the winners circle with our Owners !