Freedom Matters will try to complete a hat trick when he runs in a $16,000 starter race for 3-year-olds and up at Gulfstream Park on Friday. The about 7 1/2-furlong dash on turf drew eight horses and goes as race 8 on the 10-race card that begins at 2 p.m. Eastern. Two starts back, Freedom Man sat just off the pace when he won a first-level allowance race for Florida-breds that carried a $16,000 claiming option. He was claimed out of the one-mile turf race by Mercy Man Racing and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. They received a quick return on investment when Freedom Matters came from a stalking position to win a first-level allowance race with a $25,000 claiming option going a mile on turf at Gulfstream on Aug. 7, and was claimed. :: Bet the races with confidence on DRF Bets. You're one click away from the only top-rated betting platform fully integrated with exclusive data, analysis, and expert picks. He should get a similar trip Friday when making his first start for trainer Jose Garoffalo, who was acting on behalf of Ivette Perez Chambless when he claimed the 6-year-old son of Stroll. A popular item at the claim box, Freedom Matter has changed hands in six of his last seven races. He will break from post 4 with Miguez Vazquez riding. Vow Me Now will appreciate the class relief after finishing fifth in the $75,000 Mr. Steele on July 17. The Edward Plesa-trained 5-year-old may have won the one-mile race on turf with a better trip. He appeared to be full of run heading into the stretch turn, but was buried on the rail behind horses. Vow Me Now was forced to steady when he tried to go through a small gap between horses turning for home. Vow Me Now did not fire running over a sloppy track in a $16,000 starter race washed off the turf on June 25, but his runner-up finish in a $70,000 handicap May 31 and his win at this level May 13 stamp him as a major player on Friday. Adding to his appeal is the presence of leading rider Edgard Zayas, who figures to put Vow Me Now into a stalking position soon after he breaks from post 6. Sassy But Smart should move forward in his second start this year. Trained by Jose Chaves, Sassy But Smart set the pace before finishing fifth going this distance in a first-level allowance race with a $16,000 claiming option on July 31. He could be dangerous with a race behind him, and he does not need the lead so jockey Luca Panici has more than one option depending on how he breaks from post 3.