Successful in the Listed Wolferton S. last June, the homebred was third in the G2 York S. a month later and was runner-up in the GI Canadian International S. most recently in October.

“He was very impressive … if he brings that sort of form out here–he's very lightly raced as well for an older horse, he's been well looked after and well managed–he should hopefully have a nice career ahead of him,” co-trainer Sam Freedman, who holds a license with his father Anthony, told Racing.com.

“I think he's identified him as the right profile of horse to send out–his form in England and his run in Canada last time out was excellent.

“He's pretty versatile–he seems to handle most types of going and he's got a bit of speed, so he should hopefully suit out here.”

Sheikh Obaid, who has won the G1 Melbourne Cup, already has Dubai Poet (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Legend Of Dubai (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) with the Freedmans in Australia.

“[Royal Champion] is still up there, so he'll fly out soonish, I'd say. The plan is to obviously have him out here and working along through the winter,” Freedman added.

“There's going to be some really suitable 2000-metre races for him over the course of the spring, so we'll see where he fits in–but he's going to arrive with a pretty high rating, so hopefully he can feature in some big ones.”

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There were so many layers to the victory of Without A Fight. The 7-year-old gelding has arguably been in career best form, winning the G1 Caulfield Cup S. last start and joined a rare collection of Thoroughbreds to claim both Cup races in the same season–the latest being the great mare Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm).

The victory also served as back-to-back victories for jockey Mark Zahra, who partnered Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}) to success in 2022 for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

Zahra made the tough decision to jump off Gold Trip (Fr) Outstrip {GB}) after riding in the G1 Cox Plate to stick with Without A Fight. There were opinions aplenty over the matter, but ultimately, Zahra's judgment was proven correct.

There were also plenty of doubts over the son of Teofilo's (Ire) ability to stay the 3200 metres, having finished 13th in the Melbourne Cup last year. However, Without A Fight has proven to be an improved horse this season, racing with great zest in the winter. The gelding added the G3 Lord Mayor's Cup at Eagle Farm and followed that up with a devastating victory in the G2 The Q22.

All those doubts were put to bed when Without A Fight ran away to win by 2.25l from the Chris Waller-trained pair Soulcombe (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the charging Sheraz (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Co-trainer Sam Freedman was on course to celebrate becoming a Melbourne Cup-winning trainer, telling Racing.com, “Credit to the old man [Anthony Freedman]. He's been incredible through all this. He went to Queensland and looked after Without A Fight, and when he won The Lord Mayor's Cup and The Q22, we set our sights on the Cups.    “There's a lot of little moments, and I'm a lot younger, so I can get pretty worked up sometimes, whereas Dad [Anthony] is more relaxed, calm and collected. He's been a constant support at home. All the team behind the scenes need to be thanked. We couldn't get Without A Fight here without everybody's help.

“Without A Fight has continued to learn and improve; he was a fierce-going horse. Queensland helped him, but he's a horse that just loves to work, and he was fit and well up there. He genuinely loves his work and pins his ears back every time you train him.”

Zahra, becoming the seventh jockey to win the Melbourne Cup on more than one occasion, was understandably jubilant and told Racing.com, “My whole objective and well I thought my biggest opposition was my horse himself (Without A Fight). He can be pretty keen, and I went and worked with him the other day and he was keen. So, going to the gates, he was relaxed, which was a good sign.

“But I really wanted to find the fence, and if I could at any stage, he's a horse that relaxes much better on the fence. Slowly, I gained ground up the inside, and Ollie (Damien Oliver, Alenquer), Gold Trip and Ryan Moore (Vauban) were in front of me. and that was a tick, and felt if I could stay here as long as I can and wait for these three to make their moves, I'm going to follow them.

“I was able to travel and smoke up behind the right horses, and this horse has a good turn-of-foot. I got to the front, but I felt there was no way anything was coming from behind me, and boom! Away we went.

“For it to pay off, it's justified.”

Without A Fight, a son of Teofilo, continues the outstanding influence that stallion has held over the Melbourne Cup, siring three of the past six Cup winners.

Pedigree Notes

The first horse since the mighty mare Ethereal to take out the G1 Caulfield/G1 Melbourne Cup double in the same year, Without A Fight looked a happy horse as he strutted out onto the Flemington track. Coping admirably with the warm weather and the big crowd, the tough and classy 7-year-old wrote his name into the history books with a stunning 23l turnaround on his well beaten 13th last year. That was his first Australian run, and he has come along in leaps and bounds with the benefits of acclimatisation, this historic victory his four from six starts Down Under.

The third Melbourne Cup winner sired by former Darley shuttler Teofilo (Ire)–Twilight Payment (Ire) (2020) and Cross Counter (GB) (2018) the others, Without A Fight is the third recent Cup winner to descend from the acclaimed matriarch Lady Josephine (GB) (Sundridge {GB})–Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}), Vow And Declare (Aus) (Declaration Of War) the others. A dual Group 1 winner over 1400 metres Teofilo–who last shuttled in 2017–calls Kildangan Stud home. A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, Without A Fight was successful at Group 3 level and twice in listed company in the UK. One of Teofilo's 112 stakes winners, he is out of the talented race mare Khor Sheed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), a Group 3 and dual listed winner. Another three of her foals are winners and she is the grandam of the G2 John C. Mabee S. winner Avenue De France (Fr) (Cityscape {GB}).

Tuesday, Melbourne, Australia
MELBOURNE CUP-G1, A$7,750,000, VRC, 11-07, 3yo/up, Open Handicap, 3200mT, 3:18.37, gd.
1–WITHOUT A FIGHT (IRE), 56.5, g, 6, by Teofilo (Ire)
                1st Dam: Khor Sheed (GB) (MSW & GSP-Eng, GSW-Ity,
                                $235,281), by Dubawi (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Princess Manila (Can), by Manila
                3rd Dam: Halo's Princess (Can), by Halo
O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (Ire). T-Anthony &
Sam Freedman; J-M Zahra; A$5,060,000. Lifetime Record:
GSW-Eng, GSP-UAE, 23-11-3-4, A$9,464,881. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
   free Arion.co.nz catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Soulcombe (GB), 53.5, g, 4, Frankel (GB)–Ribbons (GB), by
Manduro (Ger). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (190,000gns RNA
HRA '21 TATAPR). O-A Kheir, J A O'Neill, Carty Racing, S A
Lewin, V Kheir, T R Maddern, B D Nettlefold, D Edmonds, A K
Racing, B A Secatore, Mrs R T Secatore, B J O'Brien, Bromfield
Park Pty Ltd, Punt Road End, N A Greenhalgh, Mrs M T
Greenhalgh, Sneesby Racing, Sir M Arbib, B G Arbib & C M
Budgett; B-Pursuit of Success LLC (GB); T-C J Waller; J-J
Moreira; A$1,100,000.
3–Sheraz (Fr), 51.5, g, 6, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Shemiyla (Fr), by
Dalakhani (Ire). O-G C Sneesby, Mrs J T Sneesby, N A
Greenhalgh, Mrs M T Greenhalgh, I Bruce, P Aspropotamitis,
Platinum Dream (S Westwood), Jalana (D Gremmo), G W
Aldridge, A T Avramides, Mrs S Avramides, Muzben Racing (B
Stewart), M Grech, Kirk Thoroughbred Racing (G P Kirk) & G
G's Shout (D Gremmo); B-H.H. The Aga Khan's Studs Haras De
S.a. Le Prince Aga Khan; T-C J Waller; J-Beau Mertens;
A$550,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, 2. Odds: 7.00, 8.50, 150.00.
Also Ran: Ashrun (Fr), Daqiansweet Junior (NZ), Interpretation (Ire), Absurde (Fr), True Marvel (Fr), Vow and Declare (Aus), Military Mission (Ire), Okita Soushi (Ire), More Felons (Ire), Lastotchka (Fr), Vauban (Fr), Future History (GB), Breakup (Jpn), Gold Trip (Fr), Virtuous Circle (NZ), Serpentine (Ire), Kalapour (Ire), Alenquer (Fr), Magical Lagoon (Ire), Right You Are (Aus).
Click for the Racing Australia chart. VIDEO.

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“Following another fantastic performance in the G1 George Ryder S., Artorius has run his last race in Australia,” the Freedmans said in a statement. “However, he will head back to Royal Ascot to contest the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. on Saturday, June 24 before returning to Australia to retire at Newgate Stud.

“We are proud of his return to Australia following last year's European campaign to win his second Group 1 in the Canterbury S. at Royal Randwick. He is now in the paddock enjoying a short break before we begin the preparation towards Royal Ascot.

“We would like to thank and congratulate all the people behind the scenes in the stable as well as all his owners on Artorius's career to date. We are sure he will do us all proud again.”

A winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S. at two, the 4-year-old placed in both the 2022 Platinum Jubilee and G1 July Cup S. during his first Northern Hemisphere sojourn. His latest campaign has been a productive one, as he claimed the Canterbury S. by a head in early March, and then was a close fourth behind Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss) in the G1 George Ryder S. at Rosehill on Mar. 18.

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The next to sample the unique undulations of Newmarket's July Course will be the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Artorius (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}), who was given a preview of the track when working four furlongs (800m) with big-race partner Jamie Spencer on Friday morning. The 3-year-old, who ran a fast-finishing third at Ascot in the G1 Platinum Jubilee S., worked alongside the five-time-winning sprinter Ancient Times (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}), trained by Harry Eustace, a former employee of Lee Freedman and brother of Australian-based trainer David Eustace. 

Artorius's co-trainer Sam Freedman was on hand to oversee the exercise and was happy with the morning's work.

He said, “They just worked over four furlongs and basically quickened up the last two furlongs and he was just hitting top gear on the line. He's very fit and he's pulled up very well. He seemed to handle the track well enough. I walked it yesterday and we don't have this sort of track in Australia.”

Of the stiff six furlongs of the July Cup, Freedman added, “It should suit him. I hope that when they come down the hill from the three to the two that he's in touch with them. He's going to be finishing very hard but he's just obviously got to be a little bit closer. It's been the story of his career that he's often left himself a little bit much to do.”

Freedman, who trains in partnership with his father, is familiar with Newmarket, having spent two years working for trainer Roger Varian. During his stay here, Artorius is based at Bedford House Stables, owned by Charlie Fellowes, and Freedman said that the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner has settled well in his new surroundings. 

“His coat has improved and he loves it here,” he noted. “There's probably no better place to train a horse in the world than here. They are looking to set up something similar to this in Australia in Victoria. This horse has never been happier, I don't think, than since he's been here. We've got the right horse for the job, he absolutely loves it.”

Further travels could be on the cards for Artorius, who is pencilled in to contest the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest in Deauville on Aug. 7 if he comes out of the July Cup well. 

Reflecting on his first overseas performance at Royal Ascot, Freedman said, “At the 600 [metres] I was worried he was going to tail off but I think the big field worked against him and also for him because the speed was good. He actually enjoys being in among the action–the bumping around seems to be really urge him on. Jamie knows him really well now having had a few gallops and a race ride.”

Owned by a partnership which includes Newgate Stud and China Horse Club, Artorius carries the same red-and-yellow silks as dual hemisphere Group 1 winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). Both colts have berths in the Newgate stallion barn ready for their eventual retirement, where Artorius's sire Flying Artie is already resident.

“He's not here for the prize-money, though the prize-money is really good on Saturday,” Freedman added of the July Cup, which has a record purse of £600,000.

“I think if the Australian sprinters were after prize-money they'd probably stay at home but we are looking to build on his stallion CV. He is getting better and better, so if he could win a Group 1 in both hemispheres that would certainly look good on his CV.”

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