After the Auction: I Will Be Free

As an avid fan of sales with possible aspirations to become an adviser/bloodstock agent, auctions are one of my favorite topics to write about on Past the Grandstand. “After the Auctions” feature horses I selected in sales that have found success after the sale. *Note: If an “After the Auction” features a two-year-old, it will also be listed as a “Juvenile Spotlight.”

The OBS March Sale has recurrently produced talented racehorses, including the grade one winners Camp Victory, Plum Pretty, and Spring in the Air. Looking to add her name to the long list of successful OBS March graduates is I Will Be Free – one of my selections from this year’s OBS March Sale.

Prior to being sold for $115,000, I Will Be Free impressed me with her 10-second breeze in the preview show, having noteworthy lift to her shoulder, which allowed her to run with lengthy, athletic strides while remaining quick-legged. Three months after this breeze, I Will Be Free debuted at Calder Race Course and despite a less than perfect trip, rallied to finish a good second.

As a result of her noteworthy performance in her debut, I Will Be Free was sent off as the heavy favorite in her second start. Facing five rivals over a five-furlong journey at Calder, I Will Be Free pressed the pace set by the second betting choice prior to edging to the front around the far turn. I Will Be Free drew away and remained clear to score by 2 ½ lengths.

I Will Be Free is a member of champion sprinter Kodiak Kowboy’s first crop. Through his multiple graded stakes-winning sire, Posse, Kodiak Kowboy is a grandson of Silver Deputy, the sire of a multitude of millionaires – including the Hall of Famer Silverbulletday – and a handful of successful stallions, such as Badge of Silver and Spring At Last. The dam of I Will Be Free is the graded stakes-placed Mrs. M, which makes her a half-sister to the black-type-placed Dan the Tin Man.

In spite of her less than spectacular bloodlines, I Will Be Free has quickly found success and could easily prove to be a useful racehorse. What the future holds for her is a mystery, but she clearly has talent.