Reigning Louisiana Derby Champion Catching Freedom Returns in the Mineshaft

By Kevin Kilroy —-

Hodges Photgraph
Reigning Louisiana Derby Champion Catching Freedom Returns in the Mineshaft

New Orleans, La (Feb. 11, 2025) – The 2024 Louisiana Derby champion Catching Freedom returns to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots on Saturday as the 3-1 morning line favorite for the $250,000 Mineshaft presented by Hagyard GI By Relyne (G3). Attracting eight older males, the 1 1/16 miles dirt route is slated as race 11 of 14 on Saturday’s stakes-laden “Louisiana Derby Preview Day.” The Mineshaft is the first leg of an all graded-stakes Pick 4, which includes the $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star (G2), $300,000 Fasig-Tipton Rachel Alexandra (G2), and $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes presented by Horse Racing Nation (G3).

Owned by Albaugh Family Stables, Catching Freedom won last year’s Louisiana Derby (G2) on his way to running fourth in Kentucky Derby 150. The Constitution colt finished his 3-year-old campaign with a third in the Preakness and a fourth in the Ohio Derby. On Saturday he will begin his 4-year-old campaign in the Mineshaft for trainer Brad Cox, who so far this meet has saddled the winner in both of Fair Grounds’ older dirt route stakes, as Saudi Crown dominated in the Tenacious and Hit Show added a fifth graded stake title to his resume in the Louisiana (G3). Flavien Prat returns to the irons and will guide Catching Freedom from post 5.

Catching Freedom is one of five 4-year-olds entered in the Mineshaft, along with Hall of Fame, Tuscan Sky, Batten Down, and Maycocks Bay. Each has the potential to make some noise in the older male dirt route division this year.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Gandharvi Westerberg, and Brook Smith’s $1.4 million purchase Hall of Fame failed to crack into the 2024 Kentucky Derby Leaderboard, finishing seventh in the Risen Star (G2) and tenth in the Louisiana Derby (G2). However, the Steve Asmussen trainee regrouped and returned to the races, putting a winning bow on his 3-year-old campaign in a first-level allowance on closing day of Churchill Downs’ Fall Meet. On Jan. 5 in a local second-level allowance, Hall of Fame wired the field by 6 1/2 lengths to make it back-to-back victories. Made 4-1 in the morning line, the Gun Runner colt will be reunited with Jose Ortiz.

Owned by Mike Repole, Tuscan Sky ran his best race to date in the 2024 Pegasus at Monmouth, when he won by open lengths over Domestic Product. Bet down to favoritism last out in December’s Harlan’s Holiday (G3), the Vino Rosso colt failed to factor, finishing seventh. A lightly-raced 4-year-old trained by Todd Pletcher, Tuscan Sky has three wins in seven races, including his one local start.

Ohio Derby (G3) winner Batten Down, a Juddmonte homebred trained by Bill Mott, held his own with the best of his class last year, including running third to Fierceness and Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy (G2). A half to Scylla and Tacitus, the Tapit colt has proven most effective at longer distances, never victorious at less than nine panels. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will take the call aboard Batten Down, who will begin his 4-year-old campaign in the Mineshaft.

Set to make his first start on the Road to Kentucky Derby 150, Godolphin’s Maycocks Bay scratched from the 2024 Southwest as the morning line favorite, then took longer than expected to recuperate. Returning to the races in a local allowance ten months later, the Mike Stidham trainee looked like he hadn’t missed a beat. Last out in the Louisiana (G3), Maycocks Bay run a better than looks fourth overcoming a far outside post and an unfavorable race shape. Drawing post 6 in the Mineshaft, the Speightstown colt will be reunited with Ben Curtis.

Both the Risen Star and Rachel Alexandra are the first Derby and Oaks prep races on the calendar to award 50-25-15-10-5 points to the top five finishers. “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” will take place on Saturday, Feb. 15 with. First post is noon CT.

Here’s the complete field for the $250,000 Mineshaft from the rail out (with jockey, trainer, and morning line):

1. Warrior Johny (Jaime Torres, Phil Bauer, 6-1)

8. Komorebino Omoide (Jansen Melancon, Robetino Diodoro, 8-1)

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About Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots

Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, one of the nation’s oldest racetracks, has been in operation since 1872. Located in New Orleans, La, Fair Grounds, which is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN), also operates a slot-machine gaming facility and 15 off-track betting parlors throughout Southeast Louisiana. The 153rd Thoroughbred Racing Season–highlighted by the 112th running of the Louisiana Derby–will run from Nov. 22, 2024 through March 23, 2025. More information is available online at www.fgno.com.