Welcome to 2024 Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, the place we’ll have a look every week at a current winner on the Triple Crown path, normally from the Street to the Kentucky Derby prep sequence that gives qualifying factors for the primary leg of the sequence. The 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Introduced by Woodford Reserve will likely be held Might 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs.

This week, we’ll take a better have a look at Catching Freedom, winner of the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 1 at Oaklawn Park. Catching Freedom earned 10 factors towards qualifying for the 2024 Kentucky Derby with that win and moved into ninth place on the newest Street to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Racing Résumé: If not for important visitors hassle all through virtually everything of his second profession begin, Catching Freedom might properly be unbeaten in three races after his 2 ½-length victory Jan. 1 within the Smarty Jones Stakes.

The Structure colt has run properly in every of his races, successful his debut at one mile Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs by 3 ¾ lengths earlier than ending a troubled fourth on the Louisville observe Nov. 9 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race. Catching Freedom was caught behind horses whereas making his transfer coming off the ultimate flip after which bottled up on the eighth pole and the sixteenth pole when 2 ¼ lengths behind winner Parchment Social gathering. He appeared to have loads of stamina in reserve for the stretch however actually by no means had an opportunity to make use of it in defeat.

Jockey Cristian Torres did a pleasant job guiding Catching Freedom from off the rail to clear crusing on the ultimate flip of the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones Stakes. The flippantly raced colt lugged in a bit and quickly shifted again to his inside lead, however Torres straightening him rapidly and he leveled off powerfully to surge properly away from runner-up Simply Metal.

“I believe he’s nonetheless studying,” successful coach Brad Cox stated. “I believe he was a bit inexperienced there down the lane, however general confirmed that he does have a whole lot of stamina and expertise. I believed he stepped up and ran properly in opposition to a stable group of 3-year-olds.”

Velocity Figures: Primarily based on pace figures, it’s honest to acknowledge that there should be enchancment from Catching Freedom to hitch the elite tier of 3-year-olds on the Derby path. He’s topped out at a 95 Equibase Velocity Determine and an 87 Beyer Velocity Determine, however he has improved each in every of his three begins. He’s progressing steadily up to now; if that continues, there clearly could be important cause for optimism.

Working Model: Catching Freedom profiles as a better as he has rallied from off the tempo in every of his three races. Whereas he has not proven a lot in the way in which of early or tactical pace, he additionally shouldn’t be fully devoid of pace as he’s tucked in behind the stalkers in every of his begins as soon as he discovered his early rhythm. Visitors may be a difficulty for closers, as Catching Freedom found in his second begin, and that may be exacerbated in a discipline of 20 on Kentucky Derby day. Alternatively, a big discipline of 3-year-olds in entrance of a full of life crowd of 150,000-plus followers can result in a swift tempo, which advantages horses like Catching Freedom that preserve stamina early.

Connections: Proprietor Albaugh Household Stables isn’t any stranger to the Kentucky Derby path. In actual fact, the racing operation of Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch has had six starters up to now, alone or in partnership, and completed third final yr with Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire. Dennis Albaugh mortgaged his residence to start out his personal pesticide firm, Albaugh Inc., which has grown right into a multibillion-dollar worldwide firm headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa. Albaugh Household Stables bought Catching Freedom for $575,000 as a yearling through the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

Brad Cox received the Eclipse Award as excellent coach in 2020 and 2021 and can virtually definitely be a finalist once more in 2023 after main all trainers by North American purse earnings. In line with Equibase, Cox despatched out the winners of 266 races from 346 starters with 963 begins for earnings of $30,947,677 in 2023. Cox received the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun following the disqualification of Medina Spirit and likewise received the 2021 Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Bets with Important High quality.

Smarty Jones Stakes-winning jockey Cristian Torres loved a breakout season in 2023 as he greater than tripled his earlier private finest in purse earnings with $13,716,700 and received a career-best 164 races, together with his first seven graded stakes wins. Torres, who took out his jockey’s license in 2019, has by no means competed within the Kentucky Derby. Catching Freedom was ridden by Florent Geroux for his first two begins. Geroux was aboard Mandaloun for his 2021 Kentucky Derby win and guided Idiomatic to victory within the 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff for Cox, with whom he has partnered with regularity all through his profession. Geroux is finest generally known as the common rider of 2017 Horse of the Yr Gun Runner and Cox’s a number of champion Monomoy Woman.

Pedigree Notes: Catching Freedom is from the fifth crop of a number of Grade 1 winner Structure, winner of the 2014 Besilu Florida Derby and 2015 Donn Handicap, each at 1 1/8 miles. A bay stallion by influential stamina sire Tapit, Structure has additionally loved success within the breeding shed with 2020 Belmont Stakes Introduced by NYRA Bets and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Regulation in addition to U.S. Grade 1 winner Americanrevolution. Structure has 64 stakes winners from 5 crops age 3 and older.

Grade 1-placed stakes winner Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile, is the dam (mom) of Catching Freedom. Catch My Drift’s lone stakes win got here at 1 1/8 miles and he or she ran third at that distance within the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes in 2015. Catching Freedom’s grandam (maternal grandmother), Drift to the Lead, received 4 races at distances starting from one-mile and 70 yards to 1 1/16 miles.

Between the highest and backside halves of this pedigree, there may be considerable stamina that ought to serve Catching Freedom properly as races get longer and longer on the Kentucky Derby path.

Derby Potential: Catching Freedom has his work minimize out for him if he needs to ascertain himself as a prime Kentucky Derby contender and, maybe, win the 1 ¼-mile basic on Might 4 at Churchill Downs. On paper, he must proceed to run quicker races and enhance considerably.

He’s a bit immature because it stands, however with 4 months to develop bodily and mentally plus important pure capability and loads of stamina, this bay colt seems like a 3-year-old with a ton of upside. That is the kind of colt I wish to guess on when contemplating Kentucky Derby futures. I might see issues actually beginning to click on for Catching Freedom within the coming months resulting in his emergence as a rising star.