Tony Gollan’s tips big things for Freedom Rally after Rosehill run

After impressing in the Listed Five Diamonds Prelude at Randwick in October and at Rosehill last weekend in the Listed Five Diamonds proper, trainer Tony Gollan says that Freedom Rally could be the next star to come from his esteemed stable.

The veteran trainer went as far as to compare Freedom Rally with his star gelding Antino, who is headed to Hong Kong to race in the Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin next month.

Freedom Rally in form

Freedom Rally ended September in poor form with a 9th place finish in the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap and an 8th place showing in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes at Rosehill.

Recently though, the five-year-old gelding has emerged as a galloper that horse racing betting fans should be watching.

Freedom Rally finished in an impressive third place in the Five Diamonds Prelude. He then upset the betting sites odds to finish runner-up in the Five Diamonds at Rosehill last weekend.

Those two results earned him close to $500,000 in prize money. Freedom Rally now has over $1 million in the bank, with an overall record of 20-7-4-2.

‘Deja Vu’ says Gollan

While Freedom Rally has not hit the heights of some of Tony Gollan’s stars from the past, the trainer says he has been impressed by Freedom Rally so far.

“His last two runs showed what he is about. We were really happy with him going into the Prelude and he rewarded us with a fantastic run. Then he went into the Diamonds where he was a big price.”

The trainer also said that Freedom Rally’s recent form is remarkably similar to what Antino’s was around this time last year.

“You have a look at his record, he nearly mirrors a young Antino,” Gollan said this week.

“Where he was this winter…it was deja vu of where Antino was the winter before.

“I’m not saying he is exactly like Antino, but his record certainly mirrors him at that stage.”

Big things planned for Freedom Rally

After finishing runner-up in the Group 1 Champions Mile, Antino is headed to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on 8 December.

While it’s too early to predict Freedom Rally embarking on a challenge like that, Gallan says his ability to travel well is another thing that makes Freedom Rally and Antino similar.

“They are very similar horses. They are really nice geldings to train. They handle travel well. Each time they have gone away they have come back better, and that is what Freedom Rally will do next time around,” Gollan said.

Gollan didn’t specify exactly what he had in mind for Freedom Rally next. However, he did reveal that he has Melbourne in mind.

“We do have options. I’ll be taking him away in the Autumn. This time probably to Melbourne at this stage, although that’s not set in stone yet,” he said.

“I think he is a really good miler who can stretch out a bit further and I plan on having a very busy 2025 with him.”