Free Standing takes out Country Championships final
FREE Standing has upstaged some of his more fancied rivals to score a sensational victory in Saturday’s Country Championships final at Royal Randwick.
A $31 chance, Free Standing began well from the inside barrier and was able to settle just behind the pace along the fence.
Edging closer approaching the home turn, the four-year-old gelding was travelling comfortably as he stuck to the inside swinging into the straight, bursting through and drawing clear to score by two-and-a-half lengths over After All That and Not For Export.
Trained at Coffs Harbour by Cathleen Rode and owned by her partner Steven Thompson, Free Standing has now won four of his 20 starts with a further seven minor placings.
Despite being beaten in his qualifying heat at Grafton behind Perfect Dare in February, Rode remained confident she had the horse to win.
“If they had watched the race he got hindered and couldn’t get out until the last minute,” Rode said, referring to the Grafton qualifier.
It was a gallant effort considering Free Standing had an interrupted preparation after his home track went under water due to flooding in the Coffs Harbour region.
“We did have flooding on our track. We weren’t allowed to leave the area because of being trained in the area until the week beforehand.
“We sent him down with the foreman and he’s been at Wyong for a week for me. I don’t need to over-race him.”
Thompson, who purchased the son of Equiano and Motown Melody for just $2,600 said he was elated with the victory which took Free Standing’s career earnings above the $427,000 mark.
“I said to Cathleen [Trainer] down the back, we’re a little bit close but if he finds the fence he’s going to find the line, because his run behind Perfect Dare was awesome,” Thompson said.
“I was pretty confident we could turn the tables today.
“I just bought him because he was by Equiano, I got a stable complex next to Joe Janiak and I yelled out one day, I bought an Equiano, the horse that beat Takeover Target.
“We only paid $2600 for him and he had won over $100,000 in prizemoney leading into today, it’s hard to put into words.
“He’s always been a bit of a handful, I ride him at track work every morning, he’s been a nice horse in progress.”