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| Staff Writer |
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Marhoona, a last-minute entry into Saturday's US$5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill, has stunned rivals with a brilliant victory before being immediately earmarked for a tilt at the US$20 million The Everest in the spring.
Just a week before the prestigious 2YO contest, trainer Michael Freedman thought the Emirates Park-owned Snitzel filly had only a 50-50 chance of making the field with less than US$85,000 in prizemoney. Remarkably, she entered as the second-last horse in the 16-strong field before claiming glory in a thrilling finish.
Top Victorian jockey Damian Lane gave Marhoona a dream run from barrier six, positioning her three back on the fence before making his move at the 300m mark. The filly hit the front at the 150m and held off late charges from Wodeton and Tempted.
"She was great," Lane said. "She's obviously been prepped perfectly for this, just peaking on the day. Not often do you come up with a plan and execute it perfectly, well in Group Ones anyway.
"It really played out how we thought it might, and she was great."
It was Lane's second win in the Gr.1 Golden Slipper, having previously won aboard Kiamichi in 2019.
The victory marked Freedman's second success in the richest race for 2YOs, after winning the 2021 race in partnership with his brother, Richard. This was his first time as a solo trainer.
"It's special," Freedman said, with his voice breaking. "It's an old cliche, but these moments are exactly why you do it."
The win continues a rich history with the race for the Freedman family. Brothers Michael, Richard, Anthony and Lee won four consecutive Golden Slippers in the 1990s under Lee's name at a time when partnerships were not allowed.
There was drama early in the race when Bjorn Baker-trained filly Within The Law took fright at the back of the field and crashed into the running rail, dislodging jockey Jason Collett before running down the inside track. Collett walked back to the jockeys' room injured.
Freedman's victory came after a roller-coaster build-up to the Slipper, with early contenders Pallaton and Apocalyptic falling short of making the race.
"Yeah, huge thrill," he said. "You know, we've been through the ups and downs with the family over a lot of years with these sort of good results, bad results. But, yeah, it's a huge thrill for my team. I mean, I've got a lot of young, up-and-coming stars in the industry, I think, and they've had such a big part to play in this, probably a lot more than me."
Freedman has revealed the filly pulled up shin sore after her Slipper triumph, which added further merit to her victory considering it came at just her third career start after making her debut at Canterbury on February 7.
"So that made the decision pretty easy... she'll go to the paddock, and we'll look forward to the Spring," Freedman said.
"It's exciting – she's nowhere near the finished article yet and she'll benefit from a good six- to eight-week spell."
There are numerous options for the star filly moving forward, with The Everest firmly on the agenda along with three-year-old features such as the US$1 million Golden Rose and US$2 million Coolmore Stud Stakes.
Freedman had particular praise for his team after the Slipper victory: "For Sophie [Johnson], who you know well, and Ben Duckworth, who's sort of been in the team for about a year now, I'm as happy for them as I am anything else because they just put so much work in."
The trainer revealed he'd secured Lane's services through his assistant. "I thought at the weekend we were having a chance of making the race," Freedman said. "Sophie, my right-hand person, reached out, and Damian said I haven't been offered much else, so I'm happy to take the punt."
Reflecting on his approach with 2YOs, Freedman said: "I just try and stay out of their way a little bit, I think. I think my personal view is good 2YOs almost train themselves a little bit. You've just got to stay out of the way."
The victory capped a memorable day at Rosehill, which also saw jockey Tommy Berry secure a Group One win aboard Gringotts just two months after suffering a broken neck.