Freddie's Darwin Cup Dash Falls Short

ROYALLY bred Loch Freddie's 29.82 victory at Albion Park last Thursday night came one week too late for her to cement a trip to the Group 3 Darwin Cup series.

Trainer Tom Tzouvelis said this of the daughter of Kinloch Brae and legend race bitch Miata who scored in a 520m 5th grade by five lengths over Syfy Hero and Can't Possibly.

Loch Freddie is raced by a syndicate put together by the Sandown Club and she was bought from breeders and former owners Paul Stuart and Brendan Wheeler as a breeding proposition.

“Corey Grenfell had her in Victoria,” said Tom. “George Farrugia heads the syndicate and he asked if I would give her a try in Queensland for them.”

Tzouvelis rated the bitch a “good thing” off box one at Albion Park the previous week.

“But she let us down and now she comes out and wins at $11,” he said. “If she had won the previous week I would have sent her straight to Darwin for the Cup.”

Loch Freddie's winning time of 29.82 surprised Tzouvelis.

“When she first arrived here she trialled 30.45 but I said to George Farrugia she would improve greatly on that,” he said. “It is particularly good for her to run 29.82 considering her worth as a future broodbitch.”

Tzouvelis has been “flat out” shifting homes in recent weeks from his Gilberton rearing, training and breaking-in complex to a training property at Park Ridge.

But he has roped in an army of helpers headed by local punting guru Shaun Speeding.

“Shaun has been an inspiration for us all he has worked so hard,” said Tom. “Shaun will take over the running of the kennel for me while I'm in Darwin with our Cup team.

“I loved the way he was barking orders to everyone during our shift. He's a natural foreman.”

Loch Freddie has now started 39 times for eight wins and 11 placings and $30,000 in stakes. She is already a winner at The Meadows and Sandown in Victoria.

As a daughter of Miata, she is worth her weight in gold as a future broodbitch, especially with a 29.82 Albion Park time behind her.