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Racing

Freedman’s Oakleigh Plate birthday gift

Four-year-old sprinter provides trainer with ideal 30th birthday present

TROPICUS winning the Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in Australia.
TROPICUS winning the Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in Australia. Picture: Racing Photos

Sam Freedman's 30th birthday will live long in the trainer's memory after Tropicus handed him a Group 1 gift.

The four-year-old son of Too Darn Hot registered his maiden success at the highest level when outclassed his rivals in Saturday's $750,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield.

Tropicus, who started $7.50, was the second-stringer for Freedman and his co-trainer father Anthony, who also had the $2.60 favourite Point Barrow, and he was thrilled to see him break through and hopes it can be a stepping stone to even bigger wins.

"He's a proper horse, he deserves that," Freedman said.

"As a three-year-old he raced against some of the best, Broadsiding and a few really proper colts.

"He's got better as an entire and is one of those horses that just trains on and on and on.

"We've seen him get better this prep and you wouldn't rule out him going to another level again."

Tropicus lumped 58.5kg to victory, the heaviest weight carried to victory in Caulfield's feature sprint race since the introduction of metrics in 1973, in an edition dominated by those at the head of the weights.

Second, 1-1/4 lengths astern Tropicus, was 59kg topweight Hedged ($20), while Jedibeel ($18), who also had 58.5kg, finished fourth, a long-head off third placegetter Gallant Son (52kg), an $8.50 chance.

Tropicus' win was Craig Williams' first in the Oakleigh Plate, but his second of the day following the Futurity Stakes win aboard Pericles, and the champion rider was grateful for the opportunity.

"I got given a really good gift today," he said.

"They rang me up early and said, 'We think he's the right horse for the race', my manager agreed, so he gets credit for that.

"Even his jumpouts, that I haven't been a part of, but watched him, they've left the headgear off him and just saved it for the race day today."

Tropicus tightened into $11 in Newmarket Handicap betting, which is dominated by glamour stablemate Tentyris, but Freedman said he was unlikely to head that way with the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) back at Caulfield on March 21 a more likely next option.


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