Willard C. Freeman
Willard Clark "Mike" Freeman (February 23, 1929 - April 17, 2013) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing steeplechase jockey and very successful trainer in flat racing. He is best remembered as the trainer of Anne Stone's Shuvee, a two-time National Champion, a Filly Triple Crown winner and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. [2] [3]
Widely known by the nickname Mike, racing in North America he won a number of the top races including the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1970 and 1971 with Shuvee which marked the first time a filly had ever won the race in its fifty-three year history. Among his other top wins, Freeman won the prestigious 1989 Rothmans International in 1989 and the Washington, D.C. International Stakes in 1993. [4] [5]
At the time of his passing, Willard Freeman and his wife Iris had, for many years, owned Chime Bell Farm in Aiken, South Carolina.
References
- "Willard C. Freeman". Equibase. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
- "W.C. 'Mike' Freeman Dies, Trained Shuvee". The Blood-Horse. 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
- "Shuvee". Racingmuseum.org. 1975-01-01. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
- "Willard C. 'Mike' Freeman, Trainer of Shuvee, Dead". Paulick Report. 2013-04-19. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- "How a little cotton wool put supermare Shuvee on the path to greatness". Thoroughbred Racing Commentary (TRC). 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2019-08-01.