Free as a Bird in Good Order After Franklin County Win

Elizabeth Valando’s Free as a Bird came out of her 1 1/2-length victory in Friday’s Buffalo Trace Franklin County in good order, according to trainer Ian Wilkes.

“She came back to Churchill (Downs) last night and she is good this morning, no problem,” said Wilkes, who notched his initial Keeneland stakes victory in the Buffalo Trace Franklin County.

Free as a Bird has won five consecutive stakes, a streak that began after she finished second here in the spring to Ageless in the Giant’s Causeway. Ageless finished second in the Buffalo Trace.

“I don’t have any plans at the moment for her next race,” Wilkes said. “I want to give it a couple days and see how she comes out of it.”

Trainer Arnaud Delacour was weighing his options with Lael Stables’ Ageless, who closed from 10th in a field of 12 to be a clear second in the 5 1/2-furlong sprint over a yielding turf course.

“I am not sure,” Delacour said of a next start for the 5-year-old Ageless. “We could get ambitious and go to the Breeders’ Cup but we would have to run against the boys (in the $1 million Turf Sprint) and there also is a Grade 3 down the hill (the $100,000 Sen. Ken Maddy at 6 1/2 furlongs on Nov. 1).

“Or we could wait until January,” added Delacour, who is based at Fair Hill in Maryland until heading to Tampa for the winter. “But we can go anywhere. She is a good shipper.”

 

Source: Keeneland Barn Notes