By Steve Sherack
Runners like GIII Iowa Derby winner and GI Haskell and GI Travers second-place finisher American Freedom (Pulpit), jaw-dropping 2-year-old debut maiden winner Beach Bum (Arch) and the promising duo of Hot Seat (Unbridled's Song) and Malibu Sunset (Bernardini) made plenty of headlines while carrying the pink and black silks of prominent owners Gary and Mary West throughout the 2016 racing season.
But where have they been? Longtime racing manager Ben Glass has the answers.
American Freedom, a $500,000 KEESEP yearling purchase, hasn't faced the starter since completing the exacta 13 1/2 lengths behind the brilliant Arrogate (Unbridled's Song), good for a career high 104 Beyer Speed Figure, in a Travers for the ages Aug. 27. Last year's Sir Barton S. winner did, however, finish 1 1/2 lengths ahead of the third-place finisher that day Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), who concluded his sophomore campaign with a win in the GI Clark H. at Churchill.
Bred in Kentucky by Centaur Farms Inc, American Freedom is out of the two-time stakes-winning mare Gottcha Last (Pleasant Tap). The half-brother to three-time graded winner and narrow GI Pimlico Special H. runner-up Gottcha Gold (Coronado's Quest) is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert.
“American Freedom just needed some time off and everything is beautiful now,” Glass commented. “He's back in training and ready to breeze at Los Alamitos. He got out there and jogged 30 days and galloped 30 days, then the rainy weather hit. He's ready to start breezing and is doing great–he's perfect.”
Any ideas on races that American Freedom may be pointed toward going forward?
“We pretty much leave that up to Bob [Baffert] and let him figure out what's best for them,” Glass replied. “Nobody is better than Baffert to figure out where they need to go.”
Beach Bum earned the 'TDN Rising Star' moniker after rolling in his seven-furlong debut for Baffert at Santa Anita Nov. 6. Let go at a somewhat surprising 5-1, the $400,000 KEESEP yearling graduate pressed a hot pace from the outside while three deep, took over at the top of the lane and ran up the score in the stretch to earn his diploma by 5 1/4 lengths over subsequent GIII Robert B. Lewis hero Royal Mo (Uncle Mo).
Produced by the stakes-placed Storm Cat mare Chili Cat, Beach Bum hails from the same family of Phipps Grade I winners Pine Island (Arch), Point of Entry (Dynaformer) and Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold). He was bred in Kentucky by Double K, LLC and Helen C. Alexander.
“Beach Bum had a little chip in his ankle that we had to take out and it's going to set us back with him,” Glass revealed of the highly regarded sophomore. “It's a shame. It'll be the middle of March, probably around there or so, before he can go back into training.”
'TDN Rising Star' Hot Seat, a half-brother to graded winner Hard Enough (Hard Spun), looked to be any kind after airing by 20 1/2 lengths his first two attempts for trainer Jason Servis at Parx, headed by a two-turn allowance tally Oct. 11. Bred in Maryland by Larry Johnson, the $260,000 KEESEP yearling was shelved after chasing home the speedy Sharp Azteca (Freud) as the even-money favorite in the seven-furlong $100,000 City of Laurel S. Nov. 19. The chestnut is out of the late stakes-winning dam Grecian Wings (Mr. Greeley).
“Hot Seat also had a little chip,” Glass offered. “I just got a report on him from Dr. [Larry] Bramlage and he's super, healed perfect and ready to go back into training. He's in Lexington now and will head down to Ocala to go back into training.”
'TDN Rising Star' Malibu Sunset, a double-digit debut winner at Fair Grounds for trainer Wayne Catalano last January, made two additional attempts during his 3-year-old campaign for Baffert on the West Coast. The $240,000 KEESEP yearling acquisition, bred in Kentucky by Mike Abraham, hit the sidelines after finishing a well-beaten seventh in the California Chrome S. at Los Alamitos Apr. 30. Produced by the Storm Cat mare One Stormy Mama, the half-brother to GII Hutcheson S. winner Thunder Moccasin (A. P. Warrior) is nearing a return with Catalano at Fair Grounds, and most recently worked four furlongs in :48.80 (8/98) Feb. 3.
“He's back with Wayne [Catalano] and he's doing real good,” Glass said. “I would think he'd be ready to run at the Fair Grounds before the meet is over, I'm hoping. He had some bone bruising that needed to heal, then also had a quarter crack. It was just time to take him out and fix him up.”
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