Run To Freedom Stuns Newmarket, Wins Abernant Stakes at Eight

Run To Freedom did more than win a sprint at Newmarket. At eight years old, he beat 13 rivals in the ZYN Abernant Stakes and reminded the division that he is still a serious player at the top level, not a throwback living on reputation alone.

Under Rob Hornby, the Henry Candy-trained Muhaarar gelding covered 6 furlongs in 1:10.58 on the Rowley Mile and held off Aramram by three-quarters of a length, with Quinault another three-quarters of a length back in third. Diligent Harry was fourth and 11-4 favourite Time For Sandals was not far away in fifth, but none could get past the 28-1 outsider once he struck the front over 110 yards out. The race carried £95,000 added, the winner collected £53,874, and the official off time was 15:01:18.

The result carried real weight because it was Run To Freedom’s first Group-race victory and his seventh career win. It also came at the fourth attempt in the Abernant Stakes, a race that has long been used as an early test for sprinters aged 3 and up and has held Group 3 status since 2013. For an eight-year-old to capture it, and do so against a field that included younger, sharper-looking opposition, is the kind of performance that forces a fresh look at the current sprint landscape.

Run To Freedom’s résumé already hinted that this horse could still travel with the best. He finished third in the 2025 July Cup and had been second in the 2022 British Champions Sprint, evidence that he has repeatedly shown high-end ability even when the wins were not coming. This was not a sentimental success story for a horse hanging on at the edges of the game. It was a reminder that class and durability still count, especially in a division where timing, pace and position can flip a race in a matter of strides.

Candy said the horse had done a huge amount of work over the winter, including swimming-pool sessions and grass gallops, and noted that Run To Freedom needs an uphill finish. Newmarket’s rising ground played to that strength, and the performance suggested the veteran is back in the spring conversation after two below-par late-season runs last year. With a handicap option at next month’s Guineas meeting still on the table, the better route now looks clear: keep him in Pattern company and let the sprint division deal with an eight-year-old who still has plenty left to give.