Catching Freedom training too well to skip chance as Ohio Derby favorite

The plan was to give Catching Freedom a bit more time away from the races following a strong spring campaign in which he was fourth in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Preakness Stakes. But then trainer Brad Cox called the colt’s owners after he resumed training at Churchill Downs.

“We were just going to give him some time,” said Jason Loutsch of Albaugh Family Stables. “There are a lot of big races in the next couple months. But he came back so strong. Brad was like, ‘He’s really, really doing well.’ Sometimes, you change the plan and run when they’re doing well.”

And so, Catching Freedom was duly entered in Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown. He is favored in a field of 10 that also includes multiple stakes winner Copper Tax and progressive sophomores Batten Down and Gould’s Gold.

“It’s not a Grade 1, but it’s a huge purse,” Loutsch noted.

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The Ohio Derby has a rich history; it was first run in 1876, although it was put on hiatus a few times in early years before being contested without interruption since 1952. It has become a regular starting point for post-Triple Crown life. Skip Away, the eventual Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old male, won the 1996 Ohio Derby after finishing second in both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes; since then, another 13 winners had started in at least one leg of the Triple Crown.

Catching Freedom won the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn to start his campaign, then was third in the Grade 2 Risen Star on a sloppy, sealed Fair Grounds track. He rallied from 11th to win the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 23, which propelled him into the Kentucky Derby, where he closed to finish fourth, beaten less than two lengths.

Cox does not typically wheel his Derby starters back in two weeks for the Preakness, but Catching Freedom trained so well upon returning to the track that he brought his connections to Baltimore. He finished third, beaten just a head by Derby winner Mystik Dan for second as neither was able to reel in Seize the Grey on the muddy track.

Through this three-race span, Catching Freedom has displayed remarkable consistency, earning a 97 Beyer Speed Figure – best in this field – in each of those outings, while continuing to train with enthusiasm. He comes to the Ohio Derby off two breezes at his Churchill Downs base.

“He loves to train, he loves to run,” Loutsch said. “Knock on wood he stays sound. He’s a happy horse, he loves his job.”

With a heat wave blanketing the region, Catching Freedom is likely to catch a fast track Saturday, which Loutsch said he would prefer. The colt is drawn in post 8 under Luis Saez. He would like some pace to rally into in this 1 1/8-mile race, as would two other Triple Crown alums – Grade 3 Withers winner Uncle Heavy, who was sixth in the Preakness, and maiden winner Mugatu, who was eased to eighth in the Preakness. It looks like there is a good amount of speed in the field.

The wild card in the pace scenario is four-time stakes winner Copper Tax, who raced on or near the lead in his early starts with success. More recently, however, he has been settling off the pace – including by necessity last out, when he stumbled at the start of the Federico Tesio and came with a steady run to win by three-quarters of a length, earning a career-best 90 Beyer.

That win earned Copper Tax an automatic berth into the Preakness, but trainer Gary Capuano exercised restraint. In addition to losing a shoe and sustaining minor scrapes to his ankles when he stumbled, Capuano said the colt is a lightly made sort who needed more time to recover between starts. Not only has he gotten time since that April 20 race, he’s solidly drawn in post 4, outside of some other pace possibilities.

Gould’s Gold was second by a nose to Corporate Power in the Sir Barton at Pimlico after pressing the pace. Recently a workmate to Mystik Dan for trainer Kenny McPeek, the colt has drawn post 2 under Brian Hernandez Jr. and has the tactical ability to use that post to his advantage.

Also drawn well outside the other speed is Batten Down, in post 9 under Junior Alvarado, as he makes his stakes debut in his fifth career start. The Tapit colt has always been well-meant. Out of champion Close Hatches, he is a full brother to graded stakes winners Tacitus and Scylla. After a pair of close defeats – including to Corporate Power – in two-turn maiden races, Batten Down broke through with a front-running 8 3/4-length score in a 1 1/4-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs, earning a 93 Beyer. That was impressive enough that Juddmonte and trainer Bill Mott considered the colt for the Belmont Stakes before ultimately opting to take a slower route in his development. He has worked in company with the older Arthur’s Ride, who emerged from those breezes with a powerful allowance/optional-claiming win with one of the year’s highest Beyers, a 111, at Saratoga.

Maiden winner Frizzante, on the rail, and maiden-claiming winner Who’s the King also could contribute to the early fractions. Completing the field are Deposition, coming back to stakes company after getting class relief with an allowance/optional-claiming victory; and the maiden Charleston.

The Ohio Derby is the finale of a 13-race card at Thistledown that begins at noon Eastern. It is supported by four stakes on the undercard, including the $250,000 Lady Jacqueline Stakes for open fillies and mares. The card also includes the $75,000 Daniel Stearns Cleveland Gold Cup for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds, and the $75,000 George Lewis Memorial and $75,000 Dr. T.F. Classen Memorial, both for Ohio-accredited older runners.

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