Baffert likely to send Freedom Fighter for Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It’s been a while since trainer Bob Baffert traveled the New York route to the Triple Crown, but he is giving serious consideration to doing it this year.

Baffert plans to nominate a trio of 3-year-olds to the Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham and is pointing Freedom Fighter to the one-turn mile race on March 6.

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Freedom Fighter, a son of Violence, is coming off a second-place finish to stablemate Concert Tour in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes going seven furlongs on Feb. 6. That was his first start since he won his debut going five furlongs at Del Mar last Aug. 1.

“He might like that mile,” Baffert said. “I would lean more on bringing him.”

Freedom Fighter is out of the dam Canadian Ballet, who won a New York Stallion Series stakes over Aqueduct’s main track in 2007.

Baffert has lined up Manny Franco to ride Freedom Fighter.

Baffert also planned to nominate Spielberg and Concert Tour to the Gotham, which awards the winner 50 qualifying points to the Kentucky Derby.

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Baffert has run only one horse in the Gotham, that being Much Better, who finished fourth in 2019. Baffert has won the Wood Memorial twice, the most recent victory coming in 2006 with Bob and John.

Nominations to the Gotham close on Saturday. Another horse likely shipping in for that race is Highly Motivated, who won the Nyquist Stakes at Keeneland last November. He is trained by Chad Brown. On Saturday, Highly Motivated worked five furlongs in 1:02.40.

– additional reporting by Jay Privman