Budjik Queen produced a courageous performance to win on debut at Swan Hill and provide the Mitch Freedman stable with another promosing three-year-old.

The daughter of Churchill, a sire the stable has enjoyed great success with in recent years, began brilliantly from the barriers and found herself leading the field, a completely new experience in her but the filly travelled well for John Allen.

Approaching the bend, she was eyeballed by Zukoro but Budjik Queen was up for the fight, extending down the long straight at Swan Hill. Once she fought off Zukoro, Budjik Queen was again headed inside the final furlong and the filly showed tremendous determination to fight back to win.

The performance was particularly pleasing given the manner in which she won. To overcome the pressure of leading on debut before responding when headed is a testament to both her natural ability and competitive attitude.

Budjik Queen know heads off for a break following her debut victory, we are very excited to see what the future holds for the promising young mare. Congratulations to Jim and Nancy Alexander on their first winner from their first runner in the Mitch Freedman Stable.