Freedom Trail takes the long route to victory in Awad Stakes

Freedom Trail took the farthest path to victory in Saturday’s $120,000 Awad Stakes for 2-year-olds, rallying six wide down Aqueduct’s inner turf course to win by three-quarters of a length over pacesetting Dandy Handyman.

In a blanket finish, Dandy Handyman was second by a neck over Noble Huntsman, who was third by a nose over Let’s Go Big Blue. However, Noble Huntsman was disqualified from third and placed fourth for interfering with Let’s Go Big Blue in upper stretch. Let’s Go Big Blue was elevated to third.

Initially, it was posted on the toteboard and announced via simulcast as a dead heat for third between Noble Huntsman and Let’s Go Big Blue. Then, there was about a seven-minute review of the race as jockey Eric Cancel aboard Let’s Go Big Blue claimed foul against Manny Franco and Noble Huntsman.

After the stewards’ review, it was announced that there was in fact no dead heat for third and that Noble Huntsman had finished third but was disqualified from third and placed fourth for interference in upper stretch.

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It was unclear why the result was initially posted as a dead heat for third.

“A dead heat was mistakenly posted for third between [No. 5] Noble Huntsman and [No. 6] Let’s Go Big Blue. Once the stewards completed their review of the inquiry for the incident at the eighth pole, the dead-heat posting was removed and Noble Huntsman was disqualified from third and placed fourth,” NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna wrote in an e-mail.

Meanwhile, Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard Freedom Trail was able to avoid all the traffic, going widest of all in the stretch and outfinishing Dandy Handyman, who had set the pace under Trevor McCarthy before starting to drift out in upper stretch.

Ortiz said even before Noble Huntsman began to drift, he had decided to go outside.

“I was already making my decision to move outside of them and I didn’t have to go out too much or fight my horse,” Ortiz told NYRA publicity. “We just had to go forward, and as soon as I asked him, he gave me a good turn of foot.”

Freedom Trail, a 2-year-old son of Collected, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.74 and returned $5.80 as the favorite.

The victory was the second in as many starts for Freedom Trail, who is owned by Gatsas Stable, Randy Hill and Steven Schoenfeld and trained by John Terranova II.

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