IN a Melbourne Cup eve sensation, Victoria Racing Club stewards have suspended top trainer Lee Freedman for two months over a positive swab returned by Irish import Runyon at Flemington in September.
Freedman's brother Michael, one of his stable foremen, was given the same penalty. However, both Freedmans immediately lodged appeals and were granted a stay of proceedings to allow last year's Cup hero Subzero to represent them again in today's big race.
Runyon, who had been promoted to become one of the favourites for the Cups, returned a positive urine sample after winning the Craiglee Stakes at Flemington on September 11. The colt was positive to lignocaine, a forbidden substance under the local Rules of Racing.
The timing of the appeal hearing is absolutely vital for the Freedman brothers. While they can participate at the Melbourne Spring Carnival this week, and possibly even the Sandown Cup meeting a week later, there has to be concern over whether their plansfor Naturalism to run in the Japan Cup on November 28 can proceed.
They will need to win their appeals to guarantee that they will be taking part in Tokyo - and there must be a possibility of Naturalism changing stables should the appeals fail.
Subzero, who relished the soft ground to record a tidy win over the luckless Veandercross in last year's Cup, is a 20-1 chance for this year's. Although showers were forecast, the rain had not arrived last night.
