TORONTO — By Matthew Lomon

 

Give Me a Minute

One minute he was last, the next he was a graded stakes champion. A heroic effort from 3-year-old colt Catching Freedom (3-1) in this past Saturday’s Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds will go down as one of the more memorable performances in the $1 million contest’s existence.

Trailing the pack of 11 for most of the 1 3/16-mile affair, Catching Freedom caught a much-needed second wind around the three-quarter turn to vault himself into contention late. The Flavien Prat mount was able to then pull clear of 7-1 challenger Honor Marie for a one-length score.

Thanks to the miraculous comeback, Catching Freedom earned his first career graded triumph. Back in February, the Brad Cox trainee finished third in the Risen Star (G2), also at Fair Grounds.

The storybook win paid $8.60.

What Could’ve Been

If it wasn’t for 7-5 choice Endlessly, all the talk from Saturday’s $700,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) would have been centered around 36-1 dart throw West Saratoga’s hard-fought second. However, Endlessly was there, and any hypotheticals are now moot.

The 3-year-old colt drubbed the competition in a four-length rout for his third career graded title (Grade 3 Del Mar Juvenile Turf and Grade 3 Zuma Beach). Now 5-0-0 through six attempts, the Michael McCarthy charge’s only blemish came last November in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T).

Clearly, the poor performance didn’t dampen Endlessly’s spirits, as he’s a perfect 2-for-2 since then.

The sizzling Jeff Ruby effort paid $4.88.

Red Route Redemption

Red Route One (9-2) ended a mini five-race winless streak in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon at Fair Grounds. The 4-year-old colt rallied from second-last to first to capture the $500,000 New Orleans Classic (G2).

In what was Red Route One’s first victory since August 6, 2023, the 1 1/8-mile contest looked like it was going to be too much for the Joel Rosario mount to handle. But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving.

A late move outside to slip away from the traffic proved wise for the Steve Asmussen protégé, who made the most of a clear runway to steal his second career graded trophy.

The New Orleans win, which pushed Red Route one’s lifetime line to 4-4-2, paid $11.80.

3-Game Sweep

Three trips to Fair Grounds, three straight wins for Tarifa (3-2).

The 3-year-old filly extended her stretch of dominance at the Louisiana track with a three-quarter-length win in the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks. With the win, Tarifa also bought herself a ticket for this May’s Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Should the Brad Cox pupil enter the Kentucky Oaks, the $1.5 million event would be her debut at the Grade 1 level.

The filly needed every ounce of energy on Saturday to outduel 4-1 runner Our Pretty Woman, who surrendered the top spot to Tarifa down the stretch after previously leading the entire way. Despite the scare, Tarifa persevered to push her overall line to 4-0-0 through five starts

The Fair Grounds Oaks conquest paid an even $5.

Opposite Day

Sunday was Opposite Day at Gulfstream, well, at least for Twirling Queen and El Terreno.

The former at 13-1, claimed the top spot in the $106,000 Melody of Colors Stakes, while the latter and 4-5 choice, came in last.

Twirling Queen made the most of her second go around at the Stakes level, getting out to an early lead and holding firm against a late push from 7-1 foe Karaya. El Terreno, on the other hand, endured an abysmal day at the office. The presumed runaway favorite had no burst, leaving top rider Irad Ortiz Jr. with no choice but to concede.

The Bizarro result paid dividends for Twirling Queen ($60,760 top prize) and those who chose to back her ($29.60 return).