Freedom Acres Inc.’s AMERICAN FREEDOM (Marquetry) was on top of a cavalry
charge to the wire in Saturday’s $150,000
Red Bank H. (G3)
at Monmouth Park.
Settled in midpack by jockey Jose Velez Jr., the gray gelding made his move five
wide leaving the quarter pole and at the wire managed to get his neck in front
of Spruce Run (Repriced), who had led the field throughout the mile soft turf
test.
Sent off at 11-1, American Freedom returned healthy payouts of $25.80,
$12.20 and $5.40 while starting the $176 exacta, $1,203.40 trifecta and
$1,631.50 superfecta ($1) (2-9-5-8). Spruce Run set pedestrian fractions of :26
3/5, :52 3/5 and 1:18 but it was the winner who stopped the clock in 1:43.
The runner-up gave back $9.60 and $6.60 at 13-1 for holding Royal Affirmed
(Affirmed) to third by a neck. Show was worth $5.40, and it was one more neck back
to Big Booster (Accelerator) in fourth. A half-length farther back was 6-5
favorite Remind (Deputy Minister), who was followed by Cottage (Arg) (Ibero
[Arg]), Midnight Express (Private Interview) and Trefinity (Polish Numbers).
Ricardo A (Out of Place), Tap Day (Pleasant Tap) and Trade Fair (GB) (Zafonic)
were all withdrawn.
The Jamie Woodington-trained American Freedom added a first graded victory to
his line, which already showed three stakes wins. The seven-year-old has placed
in six other black-type events and now has $475,709 in accumulated earnings to
go along with a record of 36-10-3-11. He ran third in the Red Bank last year.
Bred in New Jersey by Y. Kolybabiuk, American Freedom is out of the winning
Got a Cold (Drone).