Welcome to 2024 Kentucky Derby Prospect Profiles, where we’ll take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown trail, usually from the Road to the Kentucky Derby prep series that offers qualifying points for the first leg of the series. The 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be held May 4, 2024, at Churchill Downs.

This week, we’ll take a closer look at Catching Freedom, winner of the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 1 at Oaklawn Park. Catching Freedom earned 10 points toward qualifying for the 2024 Kentucky Derby with that win and moved into ninth place on the latest Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Racing Résumé: If not for significant traffic trouble throughout almost the entirety of his second career start, Catching Freedom could well be unbeaten in three races after his 2 ½-length victory Jan. 1 in the Smarty Jones Stakes.

The Constitution colt has run well in each of his races, winning his debut at one mile Oct. 1 at Churchill Downs by 3 ¾ lengths before finishing a troubled fourth at the Louisville track Nov. 9 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race. Catching Freedom was caught behind horses while making his move coming off the final turn and then bottled up at the eighth pole and the sixteenth pole when 2 ¼ lengths behind winner Parchment Party. He appeared to have plenty of stamina in reserve for the stretch but really never had a chance to use it in defeat.

Jockey Cristian Torres did a nice job guiding Catching Freedom from off the rail to clear sailing on the final turn of the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones Stakes. The lightly raced colt lugged in a bit and temporarily shifted back to his inside lead, but Torres straightening him quickly and he leveled off powerfully to surge well clear of runner-up Just Steel.

“I think he’s still learning,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “I think he was a little green there down the lane, but overall showed that he does have a lot of stamina and talent. I thought he stepped up and ran well against a solid group of 3-year-olds.”

Speed Figures: Based on speed figures, it’s fair to acknowledge that there must be improvement from Catching Freedom to join the elite tier of 3-year-olds on the Derby trail. He’s topped out at a 95 Equibase Speed Figure and an 87 Beyer Speed Figure, but he has improved both in each of his three starts. He is progressing steadily thus far; if that continues, there obviously would be significant reason for optimism.

Running Style: Catching Freedom profiles as a closer as he has rallied from off the pace in each of his three races. While he has not shown much in the way of early or tactical speed, he also is not completely devoid of speed as he’s tucked in behind the stalkers in each of his starts once he found his early rhythm. Traffic can be an issue for closers, as Catching Freedom discovered in his second start, and that can be exacerbated in a field of 20 on Kentucky Derby day. On the other hand, a large field of 3-year-olds in front of a lively crowd of 150,000-plus fans can lead to a swift pace, which benefits horses like Catching Freedom that conserve stamina early.

Connections: Owner Albaugh Family Stables is no stranger to the Kentucky Derby trail. In fact, the racing operation of Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch has had six starters to date, alone or in partnership, and finished third last year with Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire. Dennis Albaugh mortgaged his home to start his own pesticide company, Albaugh Inc., which has grown into a multibillion-dollar international company headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa. Albaugh Family Stables purchased Catching Freedom for $575,000 as a yearling during the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

Brad Cox won the Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer in 2020 and 2021 and will almost certainly be a finalist again in 2023 after leading all trainers by North American purse earnings. According to Equibase, Cox sent out the winners of 266 races from 346 starters with 963 starts for earnings of $30,947,677 in 2023. Cox won the 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun following the disqualification of Medina Spirit and also won the 2021 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets with Essential Quality.

Cristian Torres (Coady Photography)

Smarty Jones Stakes-winning jockey Cristian Torres enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 as he more than tripled his previous personal best in purse earnings with $13,716,700 and won a career-best 164 races, including his first seven graded stakes wins. Torres, who took out his jockey’s license in 2019, has never competed in the Kentucky Derby. Catching Freedom was ridden by Florent Geroux for his first two starts. Geroux was aboard Mandaloun for his 2021 Kentucky Derby win and guided Idiomatic to victory in the 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff for Cox, with whom he has partnered with regularity throughout his career. Geroux is best known as the regular rider of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner and Cox’s multiple champion Monomoy Girl.

Pedigree Notes: Catching Freedom is from the fifth crop of multiple Grade 1 winner Constitution, winner of the 2014 Besilu Florida Derby and 2015 Donn Handicap, both at 1 1/8 miles. A bay stallion by influential stamina sire Tapit, Constitution has also enjoyed success in the breeding shed with 2020 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law as well as U.S. Grade 1 winner Americanrevolution. Constitution has 64 stakes winners from five crops age 3 and older.

Grade 1-placed stakes winner Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile, is the dam (mother) of Catching Freedom. Catch My Drift’s lone stakes win came at 1 1/8 miles and she ran third at that distance in the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes in 2015. Catching Freedom’s grandam (maternal grandmother), Drift to the Lead, won four races at distances ranging from one-mile and 70 yards to 1 1/16 miles.

Between the top and bottom halves of this pedigree, there is abundant stamina that should serve Catching Freedom well as races get longer and longer on the Kentucky Derby trail.

Derby Potential: Catching Freedom has his work cut out for him if he wants to establish himself as a top Kentucky Derby contender and, perhaps, win the 1 ¼-mile classic on May 4 at Churchill Downs. On paper, he needs to continue to run faster races and improve significantly.

He’s a bit immature as it stands, but with four months to develop physically and mentally plus significant natural ability and plenty of stamina, this bay colt looks like a 3-year-old with a ton of upside. This is the type of colt I like to bet on when considering Kentucky Derby futures. I could see things really starting to click for Catching Freedom in the coming months leading to his emergence as a rising star.