Grade 3 winner American Freedom retired to stud

Grade 3 winner American Freedom has been retired from racing and will begin his stallion career at Airdrie Stud in Midway, Ky., next year for an advertised fee of $10,000.

The 4-year-old son of Pulpit had three wins from eight starts for earnings of $705,100, including wins in the Grade 3 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows and the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico. He also finished second in last year’s Grade 1 Travers Stakes and Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.

Bob Baffert trained American Freedom for owners Gary and Mary West, who purchased the colt for $500,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale.

“American Freedom is as good looking as any stallion we’ve put in our stallion barn,” said Airdrie Stud’s Brereton Jones. “He’s absolutely drop-dead beautiful.”

Bred in Kentucky by Centaur Farms Inc., American Freedom is out of the multiple stakes-winning Pleasant Tap mare Gottcha Last, whose five winners from six runners also include Grade 3 winner Gottcha Gold and steeplechase stakes winner Awesome Pearl. The extended family includes Grade 3 winner Stem the Tide.

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