Marley's Freedom has been nothing short of untouchable since joining the Bob Baffert barn this spring, and continued her dominance with an authoritative victory in the Ballerina Saturday. Shipping outside California for the second time in her career, the 4-year-old sat an outside trip and pounced in the stretch.
Away without incident, Marley's Freedom was perched outside a swarm of rivals as Finley'sluckycharm showed the way through modest splits of :23.11 and :45.44. Advancing willingly past the half-mile juncture, she ranged up four deep turning for home and powered clear to win going away. Still there bested Lewis Bay to complete the exacta.
“Brilliant,” jockey Mike Smith said of Marley's Freedom's performance. “I hadn't gotten to ride her in a while, but last time I rode her in Florida [sixth in the GIII Hurricane Bertie S. Jan. 27] she stumbled so bad and just never got up an got going, but today everything went brilliantly.”
After a brief stint in the Richard Baltas barn, Marley's Freedom spent 2017 and the early part of this year under the care of Bob Hess, Jr. Fourth in the GI La Brea S. at Santa Anita last December, she began rounding into sharper form this spring when second in the GII Santa Monica S. before winning a second-level optional claimer at Santa Anita Apr. 20. Transferred to Baffert's barn following that effort, she responded immediately with a resounding 7 1/4-length score in the GIII Desert Stormer S. at Santa Anita May 27. She followed with another comfortable win in the GII Great Lady M. S. at Los Alamitos July 7 before joining Baffert's summer string at Del Mar.
“Winning her last two races was pretty impressive,” Baffert said. “The quality is there and you have to come to Saratoga if you are looking for a championship. That is why I brought her, to see how she fits [and] this is a pretty good field. When I got her, she was in great shape She just came off a very big impressive win and I really can't take a lot of credit for that. She came to me in great shape, and running really well and I just kept her in that form.”
Marley's Freedom gave Cicero Farms of Ron and Barbara Perry the first Grade I success as owners. Click here to read more about the couple in Dan Ross's TDN feature from earlier this month.
Pedigree Notes:
Scooped up for just $35,000 by Cicero Farms as a Keeneland September yearling, Marley's Freedom is a half-sister to SW Noble Charlotte (Include). Her dam Relaxing Green is a half-sister to GSW Mythical Gem (Jade Hunter), MGSP Apple Charlotte (Smart Strike)–herself the dam of MGSP Lottie (Arch)–as well as Anyhow (Tiznow), the dam of GISW Noble Bird (Birdstone). Relaxing Green produced a colt by Paynter in 2017, a colt by Shackleford in 2018 and was bred back to Nyquist this spring.
Saturday, Saratoga
KETEL ONE BALLERINA S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-25, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:21.39, ft.
1–MARLEY'S FREEDOM, 121, f, 4, by Blame&log=#tot">Blame
1st Dam: Relaxing Green, by Formal Gold
2nd Dam: Charlotte Augusta, by Chief's Crown
3rd Dam: Noble Damsel, by Vaguely Noble
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($35,000 Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Cicero Farms,
LLC; B-Jack Swain (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith.
$275,000. Lifetime Record: 12-6-2-0, $628,435. *1/2 to Noble
Charlotte (Include), SW, $239,060. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”brookdale-foaled-raised-and-sold-2″][bullet ad=”armstrong-larkin-bloodstock-mating”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″]2–Still There, 118, f, 4, by Union Rags
1st Dam: Forever Smart, by Smart Strike
2nd Dam: Champagne Forever, by Caveat
3rd Dam: Lady Nitro, by Oh Say
($160,000 Ylg '15 FTSAUG). O-PT and K Stable; B-Joanne T.
Nielsen (NY); T-Dane Kobiskie. $100,000.[bullet ad=”summerfieldsales-sold”]3–Lewis Bay, 119, m, 5, by Bernardini
1st Dam: Summer Raven, by Summer Squall
2nd Dam: Rahy Rose, by Rahy
3rd Dam: Rose Park, by Plugged Nickle
($170,000 RNA Ylg '14 KEESEP). O/B-Alpha Delta Stables, LLC
(KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $60,000.[bullet ad=”stephensthoroughbreds-grad”]Margins: 3 1/4, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.90, 9.10, 2.80.
Also Ran: Union Strike, Ivy Bell, Tequilita, Finley'sluckycharm, Cairenn. Scratched: Highway Star.
Click for the Equineline.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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