The Anthony & Sam Freedman stable and the Godolphin operation celebrated a historic milestone at Flemington on Saturday, as their star galloper Tom Kitten became the first-ever horse to successfully defend his title in the 2026 All-Star Mile.

Tom Kitten made history as the first dual All-Star Mile champion in 2026. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

After edging out Mr Brightside by the narrowest of margins in the previous edition, the ultra-consistent son of Harry Angel returned to HQ to secure his second victory in the Group 1 $2 million All-Star Mile (1600m) in another heart-stopping finish.

Coming off a dominant first-up performance in the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes at Caulfield on February 7, the five-year-old maintained his perfect autumn form, defeating Evaporate and the valiant Pride Of Jenni in this year’s trifecta.

“He’s a remarkable horse. He’s been to the top for a long time,” co-trainer Sam Freedman told Racing Victoria.

“We’ve been blessed to get him into the stable in the last eight or nine months.

“We were disappointed with the spring we had with him.

“We felt he was going well, but we were chasing our tail, but this prep, I don’t know what it is.

“I rang Dad this morning and said he’s a different horse.

“He looks amazing, he’s holding more condition, he’s racing heavier than he was in the spring.”

Freedman noted that the horse has thrived since settling into their Mornington base.

“Sometimes you are a victim when horses change yards,” he said.

“They go onto a different feed pretty quickly, a few changes can happen pretty quickly, so now he’s in a nice routine at Pinecliff, gets out into a paddock during the day.

“For James and his team, that worked with the horse for such a long time, they should all be very proud as well as my team.

“He’s a remarkable horse and turns up every time.”

Under the guidance of elite hoop Craig Williams, who secured his first win in feature, Tom Kitten ($3.90) produced a massive effort.

Sitting third at the top of the straight, he launched a perfectly timed sprint to overhaul his rivals in the final strides.

The script went largely as expected early, with Ciaron Maher’s front-running star Pride Of Jenni—the 2023 winner—setting a bold tempo.

She attempted to lead from pillar to post but was challenged 400m from home as Evaporate and Tom Kitten closed in to form a three-horse charge.

Williams called for the ultimate effort in the final furlong, and the horse responded with a powerful surge.

“Push the button Willo, let him go,” Freedman recalled thinking as Williams moved into striking distance.

“He takes a bit to get through his gears, and he did that at Caulfield as well.

“I was even a bit more shocked.

“I know he’s a horse that doesn’t sprint off the mark and build away and that is why Willo had him in a more positive position than what we planned.

“We were dictated to by Jenni, what she was going to do and when we were in touch with her at the point of the turn, I was thinking we were right in it.”

The victory was particularly sweet for Williams, who finished second on Mr Brightside behind Tom Kitten (then ridden by Ben Melham) in 2024.

“I’m really fortunate to say thank you to Sam and Anthony Freeman and all their team, Godolphin, for giving me the opportunity, just being part of this Autumn with him and so far we’re two from two, but I’ve just seen him grow up,” Williams said.

“They’ve obviously spent a lot of time with his barrier manners.

“We saw it in the spring when he got scratched and he’s really unruly.

“So, we’re very fortunate.

“Part of our people that look after us, our guardian angels, the great horsemen, the barrier attendants.

“So, all the team that we have here in Victoria are amazing.

“So, thank you for the work that they’ve done, and we see the finished product when it comes to racing.

“It’s hard against Jenni, isn’t it? And this horse beat me last year in this race on Brightside. Because we haven’t got Brightside now, if you can’t beat them, join them, I thought.

“He’s just a big, strong individual and he knows it. They’ve only asked me to gallop him one morning. I think it was the fastest gallop of the morning ever at Mornington.

“So, they just put me on race day in barrier trials. But it’s good, the horse is going so well. And when I jumped him out in between his last run and this one, I just said, ‘He’s just in that winning zone.’

“He just feels great. He’s content and we saw it today under race pressure.”

Looking ahead, the Freedman camp is weighing up several prestigious targets.

While the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 28 remains an option, a trip to Sydney for the Group 1 $4 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 4 appears more likely.

“I feel he’s best fresh at a mile,” Freedman explained.

“We might see him in the Doncaster more likely than the Australian Cup.

“He might grind away late like he wants the 2000 metres, but he likes a strong tempo where he can sit back and stalk them.

“We’ll have a chat. He’s also entered in Dubai and Hong Kong, so there’s plenty of options for him.

“The beauty of him is he’s an easy horse to work with and I’m just rapt for the whole crew.”

Following the win, Tom Kitten has surged to the top of the all-in 2026 Australian Cup betting, firming from $15 into $4 at Ladbrokes.

His futures odds for the Doncaster Mile have also been slashed, moving from $26 into $15.

2026 All-Star Mile Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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