Freedman stable divided over the Everest

SYDNEY: If the controversy over the light show on the Opera House was not enough, the Everest has now caused a goodnatured rift in the Anthony Freedman stable.

Freedman has two runners, Santa Ana Lane and Shoals, and his staff are split on who to support.

‘‘It’s quite funny. Shoals spends a lot of her time down at the farm and Santa Ana Lane spends a lot of his time at Flemington, so the staff are a little bit divided,’’ racing manager Brad Taylor said. ‘‘It’s caused some good banter.’’

With a moderately sized stable of 50 horses, Freedman has done well to get two runners into the world’s richest race on turf.

More significantly, both head into the $A13 million event in form. Santa Ana Lane scored a narrow laststart win over Shoals in the Premiere Stakes, leaving leading Everest equal contenders Trapeze Artist (fourth) and Redzel (fifth) in their wake.

Having always shown glimpses of talent, Santa Ana Lane has developed into a topclass sprinter over the past 12 months with three group 1 wins.

‘‘It’s just been a maturity thing; he’s taken a long time to mature,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘He’s switched on now. He’s a professional racehorse and he takes everything in his stride.’’

Fouryearold Shoals is less seasoned but her win against the older mares in the Robert Sangster in May and two placings in openclass sprint races this season suggest she will be a force in the Everest.

Both horses are proven in wet ground, conditions they are likely to get at Randwick.

Taylor says he cannot separate the two.

‘‘It’s bloody hard to split them. I think we’re all very happy we’re putting saddles on these two horses in the race. I don’t think we’d swap them for anything.’’

Markets have a slight leaning to Shoals, who is on the second line of betting at $A7 with Santa Ana Lane on $A9. — AAP