Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
If you believe in signs, New Zealand syndicator Matthew Corban received a good one on Saturday, when 4-year-old mare Attractiveness (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) jumped from barrier one to win the first race at Rosehill Gardens on the opening day of the 2026/27 racing season.
The victory was the mare’s third from eight starts for trainers Richard and Will Freedman, who bought her alongside Corban’s Inspire Racing and Pinhook Bloodstock International (FBAA) for NZ$120,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2024. In fact, she was the very first yearling that Corban bought with long-time friend Will Freedman.
Winners are what write your story, particularly in the early days of a business, and the Australian success of horses Corban has bought has him seriously considering a trans-Tasman expansion.
Growing together
Corban and Freedman’s friendship dates back more than a decade, and the friendship between their fathers, Marcus and Richard, dates back far longer. Matthew and Will were first formally introduced by Yarraman Park Stud’s Matt Scown, and their friendship solidified properly when Freedman, having started his training career in Scone, joined his father in partnership at Rosehill.
“He’s been a great mate, and we have been through a fair bit together,” said Corban. “There was a time where I was trying to get on the Godolphin Flying Start and Will was on the course at the time, and he was giving me some advice about how to get on it.
“Ironically, I didn’t get on. I made it to the final interview stage, but not the program itself. At that point, he had come back to Sydney and I was working for Racing New South Wales, so we started to hang out a bit more. We have taken a few trips together, like going to Royal Ascot.”
Will Freedman | Image courtesy of Freedman Racing
“He stood me up in Prague once,” recalled Freedman. “We went to Ascot together and then we were supposed to meet up again in Prague. He was leaving from Gatwick and I was going from Heathrow, and when I got to Prague, I called him and he said, ‘oh yeah, I didn’t make the flight’.
“So he’s owed me a nice horse for that. If your friendship can survive being stood up in a foreign country, then there’s not much that can shake it.”
“If your friendship can survive being stood up in a foreign country, then there’s not much that can shake it.” - Will Freedman
The friendship continues to be built on a mutual respect for each other’s business acumen. After several years working for Racing NSW, including assisting to launch the first Everest carnival, Corban returned home to New Zealand to launch Inspire Racing in 2023.
The previous year, Freedman had returned to Sydney and was hard at work building up the Rosehill stable with his father. One of the standouts of their first full season training together was G3 Kembla Grange Classic and twice Group 1-placed Pavitra (American Pharoah {USA}).
“He has the Freedman name, but he has always done things on his own merits,” Corban said. “He reads every book, he did the Flying Start, he worked hard in Scone before he came back to Sydney. We always knew he was really serious about training, he has an incredible mind.
“He has the Freedman name, but he has always done things on his own merits.” - Matthew Corban
Matthew Corban | Image courtesy of Inspire Racing
“He had two winners on Saturday and it seems like over the last few months he’s had a winner nearly every Saturday.”
“It’s been really nice watching Matthew forge his own way,” Freedman said. “He has had a lot of different roles in racing and he has landed on syndicating horses in New Zealand, and it is really starting to come together.”
“It’s been really nice watching Matthew (Corban) forge his own way.” - Will Freedman
Great to achieve with friends
Attractiveness is just the first horse in Freedman’s stable that Corban has purchased, but her achievements have opened the door to more in the future.
“I got a lot of enjoyment out of Saturday,” Corban said. “It’s always great when you achieve these sorts of things with friends. I am hoping that next year we can have a bit of a renewed focus on adding yearlings to his stable.”
“It’s always great when you achieve these sorts of things with friends.” - Matthew Corban
“Racing is always a lot more enjoyable with someone that you like,” Freedman concurred. It is a good thing their friendship is so strong, when they had to stretch their budget a little to take home Attractiveness.
“I think she was the first yearling Matthew bought for his operation altogether,” Freedman said. “We were at Karaka and she was a beautiful yearling. Hello Youmzain wasn’t quite as popular as he has gotten, and Matt said to me, ‘I’ll take 40% if she sells for up to $80,000’.
“Then she passed in and I said, ‘we’re going to have to go to $120,000’, and Matt said, ‘no, only $80,000’. Then I went back to him later and said, ‘we bought her for $120,000’, and he said, ‘fine, we’ll sort it out’.”
Fortunately for them, the 4-year-old has already surpassed her purchase price in her first two operations, with earnings just a tick under $140,000 and has now proven herself more than capable of Saturday metropolitan racing.
Attractiveness (NZ) | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“One of Matthew’s owners said something very humbling on Saturday,” Freedman said. “He said, ‘coming over to Randwick or Rosehill and competing at this level was a bucket list item for me’.
“(One of Corban's owners) said, ‘coming over to Randwick or Rosehill and competing at this level was a bucket list item for me’.” - Will Freedman
“I think, when we talk about syndications, it gives people the opportunity to come over and experience these bigger, more exciting race days. That’s something Richard and I try to sell ourselves on too.
“It’s about more than just racing, because racing is ultimately a game where there's plenty of disappointment and plenty of runs. It’s about the experience of the whole day.”
The whole experience
“When Attractiveness was beaten in her first run at Rosehill, Matthew was there with his whole ownership base all day, enjoying all of the racing,” Freedman continued. “It’s not just about the two minutes of your horse’s race, it’s a full experience. Racing is supposed to be entertainment, it’s supposed to be fun and a good experience, and I think Matthew is doing a great job at delivering that.”
“Racing is supposed to be entertainment, it’s supposed to be fun and a good experience, and I think Matthew is doing a great job at delivering that.” - Will Freedman
The emphasis on the whole picture remains important for both trainer and syndicator, particularly when the reality is that it is impossible to make every horse a winner.
Attractiveness (NZ) | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“I think the old selling point about racing making you heaps of money is over and done with,” Freedman said. “I think even the most naive of participants understand that that’s a little fanciful. It’s about dreaming, and fulfilling some of those dreams - and sometimes those dreams are having a runner on a Saturday in the city.
“This mare has won her way out of Midway grade and can now race for the best part of $160,000. That’s nothing to shy away from. If you can get a good one in Australia, they can pay for their annual training fees pretty quickly.”
Racing has always had to compete with other sports and hobbies for the public’s free time - and disposable income - and Freedman acknowledged the role syndication has had in making sure racing remains part of more people’s lives.
“I don’t think many people get into racing to make money, but when it can at least pay for itself, the enjoyment becomes pure enjoyment,” he said. “With new syndication models, like Matthew’s, it is important to get these decent horses early. It is a game of momentum, and it's important to get those wins early to try and get the ball rolling.”
Pros and cons
There is the potential for Corban to send more horses across the Tasman in future from his existing stable.
“There might be a few horses currently in training in New Zealand who could come over after the summer, but that is something I would discuss with my owners,” Corban I still want to support the trainers I use in New Zealand and there is a certain style of horse that suits Sydney racing. It’s amazing to be at Rosehill in the middle of winter and have a Soft 5 track. Whereas in New Zealand, this is what we call ‘Heavy 10 season’!
“It’s amazing to be at Rosehill in the middle of winter and have a Soft 5 track. In New Zealand, this is what we call ‘Heavy 10 season’.” - Matthew Corban
“And the beauty of having horses trained at Rosehill or Randwick is that there’s jump-outs at home almost every week, and trials on their home track every two weeks. It’s really efficient getting horses ready to race in Sydney. The costs might be higher, but if you have horses with the right ability, it’s worth it.”
The other driver for Corban to consider sending more horses to Australia is some of the uncertainty surrounding the New Zealand industry at the moment. The release of Project Stamina - an independent review into the industry’s infrastructure and viability - in July has placed seven racecourses in the country under threat of closure.
“There is a fair amount of uncertainty about the way forward,” Corban said. “I am of the opinion that decreasing stakes would be detrimental to the industry, but I feel there will be a bit of a stalemate after the news of tracks being closed.
“I acknowledge that some things have to change, and as a country, we have some of the most exciting young trainers and young stallions coming through that can help New Zealand to be really successful. But at the same time, it is hard to predict how the next three years are going to go. I don’t have a grand solution to it all, I can only control what my operation is doing.”
“I don’t have a grand solution to it all, I can only control what my operation is doing.” - Matthew Corban
Corban noted it had been a particularly tough year for syndication and that he was thankful for an existing ownership base who continued to support him.
“I did pre-empt that people might be scaling back, so I went for much more commercial sires this year,” he said. “There is an election coming up here as well, and no matter who wins it, you will have people feeling pessimistic afterwards.
“In terms of economic confidence, we often look overseas to see what’s happening, but we don’t know how that will apply to us yet. Things could get better, or they could get worse, it’s just unclear for now.”
Doing the right thing
If Attractiveness’s winning season opener on Saturday was tipping the scales in favour of an Australian expansion, the penultimate race on the card gave Corban another significant sign.
“I would probably like a sign that what I’m thinking of doing is the right thing, and her win wasn’t the only sign,” he said. “The first horse me and my brothers were involved in, that inspired me to become a syndicator, was called Carbonados. He won his first start at New Plymouth, then he was sold to the Hayes boys, and he ended up winning race nine on Saturday as well.”
It was a seventh career win for Carbonados (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) and took his career prize money to over $388,000.
Carbonados (NZ) | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
“That was a different kind of full circle moment,” Corban said. “It felt a little supernatural. I found it hilarious, but I also thought, ‘maybe I am in the right place’.
“It felt a little supernatural. I found it hilarious, but I also thought, ‘maybe I am in the right place’.” - Matthew Corban
“We sold another horse to the Hayes boys a while ago who is called Cruiserweight now, and he’s been pretty successful for them in just a few starts. We got him at the same sale we bought Attractiveness.”
If that isn’t vindication of the model, what the third could be is unclear.
“We do buy a few nice horses and having these kinds of results opens a few doors,” Corban said.
“I actually joked with him about it on Saturday, I said, ‘you might actually be a good judge at this’,” Freedman said. “He said, ‘well, I had to be good at something’, and I think he has found what that is.”
