Free Enterprise to Make Stakes Debut in Hooper
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Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Gray Magician will try for his third win since Aug. 11 in the Fred W. Hooper
After registering a pair of dominating victories in New York to close out 2019, Free Enterprise makes his stakes debut Jan. 25 in the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park.
Klaravich Stables' Free Enterprise did not begin racing until at age 4 last season—finishing second in his first three starts at the maiden level. But that stretch of runner-up finishes to start his career seems like ancient history after the son of Curlin delivered a 2 1/2-length victory in a maiden race in September at Belmont Park and followed with a three-length score in an allowance race Nov. 23 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Hooper not only appears to be a logical next step on the class ladder for Free Enterprise but a sensible new challenge in terms of its distance—a one-turn mile. Trained by Chad Brown, Free Enterprise secured his first win at 6 1/2 furlongs and followed with a score at seven-furlongs—drawing off in the stretch of that race to prevail over next-out winner The Caretaker.
To prepare for his 2020 debut, Free Enterprise has put together a string of six works at Payson Park Training Center since Dec. 16. After working four furlongs in a bullet :49 3/5 Jan. 6, he followed with two steady five-furlong moves Jan. 12 and 18. Javier Castellano, aboard for both of Free Enterprise's victories, will ride Saturday.
Mike Ryan went to $485,000 to land Free Enterprise at the 2016 Keeneland September sale from the consignment of Lane's End, agent.
While Free Enterprise makes his stakes debut, Rare Form will look for the first stakes win of his career in his first start since finishing second to two-time grade 3 winner Blended Citizen in an allowance level race Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. The lone previous stakes start for the 5-year-old son of The Factor came in an off-the-board turf try in the $750,000 Tourist Mile Stakes in late August at Kentucky Downs.
Rare Form is trained by Dale Romans, who also has entered stakes winner Dak Attack and grade 1-placed stakes winner Seven Trumpets, who will have the services of Frankie Dettori.
There figures to be plenty of early pace in the Hooper, where a full field of 14 has been entered. That could help set up the late run of stakes winner Gray Magician, who earned a runner-up finish in last year's UAE Derby Sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group (G2) at Meydan before finishing last of 19 in the slop in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). Trainer Peter Miller thinks Gray Magician will bounce back from his fifth-place finish in the San Antonio Stakes (G2) Dec. 28 at Santa Anita Park.
"I think the one-turn mile suits him. He's never run well at Santa Anita," Miller said. "We just figured we were going to either go to Oaklawn or here and this race made a lot of sense. Hopefully, he can get back to his winning ways."
Gray Magician won the Ellis Park Derby Presented by Kruckemeyer and Cohn Jewelry last summer at a mile.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 25, 2020, Race 7Entries: Fred W. Hooper S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Storm Advisory (PA)
Tyler Gaffalione
120
Peter R. Walder
30/1
2
2Zenden (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Todd A. Pletcher
8/1
3
3Eye of a Jedi (KY)
Jairo Rendon
122
Steve Budhoo
30/1
4
4Rare Form (KY)
Flavien Prat
118
Dale L. Romans
5/1
5
5Phat Man (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
122
J. Kent Sweezey
10/1
6
6Seven Trumpets (KY)
Lanfranco Dettori
122
Dale L. Romans
6/1
7
7Tale of Silence (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
118
Barclay Tagg
10/1
8
8Free Enterprise (KY)
Javier Castellano
118
Chad C. Brown
4/1
9
9Olympic Village (FL)
Jose A. Bracho
118
Robert B. Hess, Jr.
20/1
10
10Gray Magician (KY)
Joel Rosario
122
Peter Miller
6/1
11
11Epic Dreamer (KY)
Paco Lopez
118
Kelly J. Breen
10/1
12
12Gran Omero (VEN)
Santiago Gonzalez
124
Oscar M. Gonzalez
30/1
13
13Chewing Gum (KY)
Julien R. Leparoux
118
William I. Mott
15/1
14
14Dak Attack (KY)
Luis Saez
118
Dale L. Romans
20/1
