HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Free Like a Girl emerged from her runner-up finish in Saturday's Azeri Stakes in good order and was scheduled to ship to her new base of Evangeline Downs with the goal of returning to Oaklawn Park for the Apple Blossom, according to trainer Chasey Deville Pomier.
“She cooled out well, bucking and playing in the test barn, her normal self,” Deville Pomier said Sunday. “She cleaned up. Everything seems to be good.
“I think we’re looking back at the Apple Blossom. I think that is the goal. That’s what we’re thinking. Let’s let her get a sip of water and lay down for the night, get a little rest. But that’s what we’re aiming at.”
Free Like a Girl tracked the pace set by Thorpedo Anna, which was closer to the early lead than she was originally expected to be before the scratch of the front-running multiple stakes winner Wild Bout Hilary.
“That late scratch kind of changed the whole dynamic of what we were hoping for,” Deville Pomier said.
Free Like a Girl began to move in on Thorpedo Anna nearing the quarter pole and drew alongside her into the stretch before the reigning Horse of the Year quickly turned back the challenge. Free Like a Girl earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 89.
“She didn’t go down without a fight, for sure,” Deville Pomier said of Free Like a Girl. “Because she was fighting hard.
“Thorpedo Anna is an absolute monster. We knew we were going in for a fight, and even her off the layoff. She’s made so many accomplishments. You can’t take that away from her. She is a thrill to watch, as well. So, it was very exciting to watch them. It was a horse race for a little bit and I was ecstatic just to see her kind of get to her and look her up in the eye and say, ‘I’m here. I’m here,’ You can’t take anything away from either mare. They’re just racehorses. They’re just athletes at the end of the day. They’re competitive.”
Free Like a Girl is a 6-year-old who has earned $2.2 million.
Thorpedo Anna is a 4-year-old who has earned $4 million.
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