Catching Freedom flies home to score in the Louisiana Derby (Hodges Photography)
By Laura Pugh
The first two Kentucky Derby preps of the Champions Series are down, and for once, clarity was provided…with one of them at least.
The Louisiana Derby saw the return of several Risen Star contenders, only this time, they got to race over a dry track instead of the murky mess they splashed over in February.
The first and easiest takeaway from the Louisiana Derby is that it’s officially time to put a pin in the hype over Hall of Fame. As impressive as his maiden win looked, the horses behind him haven’t gone on to do much. Secondly, despite having a nearly identical trip to his Risen Star, this time over his “preferred” surface, he finished worse than he did in the Risen Star. Currently, he’s just not fast enough to run with the best of his class.
The winner Catching Freedom, on the other hand, should definitely get some respect after his performance. The time, while not as fast as some prior editions, was not as slow as some would like to believe. The Beyer for the race came back as 97, which is on par with the preps that have been run thus far.
What really impressed me the most though was his individual internal splits, they were as follows (24.98, 24.67, 24.04, 24.12, & 18.35). This is an average of 12.22 seconds per ⅛ of a mile, or furlong. To keep that type of pace, at his age, this early in his career is a testament to his talent in and of itself. But what really stands out to me is the sustained move.
After the first half mile, Catching Freedom ran his second half in 48.26 seconds, more than a second faster than his first. That type of move would normally zap the starch out of any closer turning for home, but that didn’t happen here. Catching Freedom kept coming, closing his final split in 18.35, which is an average of 12.23 seconds per furlong… not far off his race average.
Of course there will be detractors that will point to how poorly closers do in the Kentucky Derby, due to the traffic elements that accompany a 20-horse field. However, this horse has already shown an ability to run well in spite of traffic troubles. He wound up running four wide around the final bend in the Smarty Jones Stakes, giving the leaders quite a bit of ground. He still managed to win going away.
In the Risen Star, Catching Freedom was three to four wide most of the race, then got fanned eight wide turning for home. After that, he had to steady in the final 1/16th of a mile after the eventual winner, Sierra Leone, came over his path, putting him in tight quarters. Despite this, he still finished third, beaten less than two lengths.
This horse has shown improvement with each start this year, and while traffic could hinder his ability to make the winner’s circle, it most certainly hasn’t been shown to stop him. A horse that can fire, in spite of traffic, and fire to the point of running his final splits in 24 and change is a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender and should be taken seriously.
Catching Freedom has the ability to sit closer if the pace is slow, like he did in the Risen Star, or lay a little farther back if the pace is quicker. And, while he may have been last early on, Catching Freedom was never farther than nine lengths from the pace, never losing touch with the field.
There are still several Championship Series Preps to be run, three of which are taking place this coming Saturday, March 20th. At this juncture, however, Catching Freedom has thrown down his gauntlet as the one to beat.
