Peter Pan winner Freedom Child retired to Country Life Farm
Freedom Child, runaway winner of the Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park in May, emerged from the Jim Dandy with a high suspensory ligament tear in a hind leg and has been retired.
He will stand stud at Country Life Farm in Maryland, according to Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds which owns Freedom Child in partnership with St. Elias Stable and Spendthrift Farm. Finley said all three partners will stay in on the horse as a stallion.
“He’ll follow the same exact path as Malibu Moon,” Finley said. “We’re hoping he turns out to be the second coming of Malibu Moon.”
Malibu Moon is the sire of Freedom Child as well as the sire of Kentucky Derby winner Orb. Malibu Moon began his stallion career at Country Life before moving on to Spendthrift.
Freedom Child, trained by Tom Albertrani, won the Peter Pan in the slop by 13 1/4 lengths. But he finished 13th in the Belmont Stakes and, most recently, last in the Jim Dandy.
“It’s unfortunate. He never really took an unsound step his whole career and it looks like he injured himself in the Jim Dandy,” Finley said.
Freedom Child retires with a career record of 2-1-1 from eight starts and earnings of $170,072.