Secured Freedom captures Affirmed Stakes in first stakes win

Secured Freedom got the kind of setup that can make a 3-year-old look far better than the clock alone suggests, and he still had to finish the job. In the rescheduled Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita, the Practical Joke colt ran down a breakneck pace, launched his move from about three furlongs out and, after showing a little late greenness, held off One More Freud to win the $100,000 listed stakes at 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.32 on a fast dirt track.

The race had been pushed from Thursday to Monday after a power outage forced Santa Anita to cancel the card after the fifth race, and that delay changed the shape of the field as well. Grade II winner Litmus Test was added after being scratched from the Delaware Derby, while One More Freud, Decisive Win, Mo Koko, Court of Appeal and Constitution Andi rounded out a group that gave the Affirmed a legitimate sophomore-stakes look. Santa Anita had installed Secured Freedom as the 8-5 morning-line favorite, and Joel Rosario made his first start aboard the colt in the race.

Once the gates opened, the tempo did the rest of the work for the front-runners and the heavy favorite alike. The pace was sharp enough to set up a sustained run, and that is where Secured Freedom looked most comfortable, rolling into contention from mid-race and keeping his momentum when the leaders began to come back to him. One More Freud briefly threatened inside the final furlong, but Secured Freedom got his mind back on task and stayed on to the wire. The 13-10 favorite paid $4.60 to win, and the exacta of 4-7 returned $12.40.

The result mattered beyond the tote board because this was not a soft landing spot. Secured Freedom entered off a fourth-place finish behind Crude Velocity and Englishman in the GI Pat Day Mile on May 2 at Churchill Downs, and the Affirmed suggested that class relief and a cleaner tactical setup can sharpen his finish. Santa Anita called it his first stakes victory, a useful milestone for trainer Tim Yakteen and for the owner-breeders Leslie A. Amestoy, Pierre Jean Amestoy Jr. and Roger K. Beasley. Audley Farm Equine, LLC was listed as the breeder.

For a colt trying to establish himself in the 3-year-old stakes division, this was more than a favorable trip. Secured Freedom showed enough stamina, enough response and enough composure under pressure to make the Affirmed Stakes look like a launch point rather than a one-off.