Five-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer Lee Freedman is returning to Australia and will train on the Gold Coast.
Rumours were circulating from Monday that Freedman was leaving Singapore after a three-year-stint and would establish a new stable.
Freedman, 64, confirmed the move in a statement issued on Thursday and said he expects to begin training from his new Gold Coast base in late March or early April,
“Ian Brown, the Gold Coast Turf Club racing manager, has outlined the huge infrastructure development plans for the club culminating in night racing as of 2022,” the statement reads.
“I believe these developments, plus the healthy prizemoney in southeast Queensland will elevate the Gold Coast Turf Club to an even more exciting racing destination.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time training in Singapore and I offer my thanks to the owners who have supported the stable over my three and a half years here.
“Now is the time to renew my ambitions in Australia and I look forward to reconnecting with my Australian owner base, as well as continue to train horses in Australia for my Hong Kong, Singaporean and Thai clients that have supported me so much in recent years.”
Freedman, who won the last of his five Melbourne Cups with Makybe Diva in 2004 and 2005, has been training in Singapore since 2017 where he claimed the Singapore trainer’s title in his first full season in that jurisdiction. Ironically Freedman’s first winner as a licensed trainer was Blockade at the Gold Coast in 1983.
Earlier this week the Singapore Turf Club confirmed there would be nine fewer meetings in in the first three months of 2021 than there was this year and several feature races had also been deleted.
With Lee setting up in Queensland, the Freedman family will have training operations in three states.
Lee’s brother Anthony has enjoyed great success in Melbourne where he co-trains with son Sam.
Other brothers Richard and Michael are established in a training partnership in Sydney and Richard’s son Will, now trains at Scone after taking out a license this year.
Lee says he is aiming to “gather a few horses” from next year’s yearling sales in Australia.