By Brian DiDonato
The highly touted American Freedom (Pulpit) takes a steep step up in class as he faces as many as 13 foes in the GIII Pat Day Mile at Churchill Saturday. A $500,000 KEESEP pick-up for Gary and Mary West, the half-brother to MGSW miler Gottcha Gold (Coronado's Quest) covered all the ground in his sloppy-track seven-panel unveiling at Santa Anita Apr. 9, but got the job done under a confident ride. He earned a very strong 98 Beyer Speed Figure and 3/4 Thoro-Graph number, and fired a five-panel bullet in :59 flat (1/27) over the local strip Monday in preparation for this. Trainer Bob Baffert and East Coast-based pilot Javier Castellano rarely team up, but they do, they're deadly. The trainer/jockey combo most recently partnered with GIII Lexington S. winner Collected (City Zip).
There are nine sophomores here dropping out of Kentucky Derby preps. Jacks or Better Farm homebred Fellowship (Awesome of Course) was third behind Mohaymen (Tapit) in Gulfstream's Jan. 30 GII Lambholm South Holy Bull S. and GII Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth S., and filed the same slot behind Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and Majesto (Tiznow) in the Apr. 2 GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby. The chestnut was transferred from Stan Gold to Mark Casse after his last outing.
Star Hill (Elusive Quality) rates an upset chance cutting back to one turn. The Calumet Farm homebred turned heads with a sharp 7 3/4-length maiden score fourth out over seven furlongs at Gulfstream Feb. 13. Third in the productive GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12 behind Destin (Giant's Causeway) and Outwork (Uncle Mo), he hit the lead and almost looked like a winner in upper stretch of Keeneland's Apr. 9 GI Toyota Blue Grass, but ultimately faded to fifth.
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