Free House
Free House at Santa Anita ©
Emily Hufford 1998
I will never forget the very first time I laid eyes on
Free House in person. I was standing along the paddock rail at Santa Anita,
clutching a camera and feeling my heart thud with excitement. In moments,
I would be seeing Silver Charm, my favorite racehorse in the world, and
I'd been waiting for this moment for quite literally years.
I gazed back along the horse path to the receiving barn when I suddenly
saw a flash of bright gray fling itself up; even from a distance, Free
House's watchful eye was unmistakable. He walked with his head raised
high above all and seemed to know he was in a procession. He was coming
off of a fourth place finish in the Woodward Stakes (gr. I), but before
that he'd dominated the Pacific Classic (gr. I) at Del Mar. He knew what
battles were about, the real gritty kind where you lay your heart on the
line. He knew what the gray horse in front of him was about, too, Silver
Charm was number five, Free House was number six. They'd faced each other
six times before, with Silver Charm holding a four-two advantage.
Around the paddock they went, muscles rippling, fans cheering and yelling.
Free House stopped dead in front of me and threw up his head, eyeing me,
as if to say, "I'm looking at YOU." I will never forget the
way he stared straight through me, and straight through the person next
to me, looking at us all in turn, taking everything in. He was truly magnificent.
A California-bred colt by Smokester, trained by Paco Gonzalez and owned
by John Toffan and Trudy McCaffery, Free House entered the scene with
a maiden win at Del Mar and followed that up with a victory in Santa Anita's
Norfolk Stakes as a two-year-old. After missing the Breeders' Cup, Free
House returned to the racetrack in February of 1997, where he would face
Silver Charm for the first time. The other colt won the victory that day,
but Free House charged hard on the outside, closing with every stride
to come up short at the wire. A month later he would reverse the finish
with a win in the San Felipe Stakes, holding Silver Charm at bay until
the wire.
Their next race would win them legions of fans from all over the country. In the Santa Anita Derby, Silver Charm was sent to push the pace of the filly Sharp Cat, while Free House tracked them in third. At the top of the stretch, Sharp Cat folded, and Free House and Silver Charm locked horns and neither ever gave up. They battled as one gray flash down the stretch, acting as though they were seasoned professionals, not just three-year-olds. Free House scored the win by the slimmest of margins, causing owner Trudy McCaffery to throw her arms about his neck and plant several kisses on his gleaming silver body. That white-rimmed eye watched the crowd from the winner's circle. On to Kentucky.
Free House did not win a Triple Crown event, but he did finish third in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont Stakes. It was the Preakness, the middle jewel of the Crown, where he showed his true courage, fighting head and head with Silver Charm again to just miss, while holding off the very talented Captain Bodgit and Touch Gold in the process.
After a short break, Free House returned to California to win the Swaps Stakes at Hollywood Park. The BloodHorse magazine that week showed him in full flight for the wire, with the caption "Free At Last!" That year Free House was named California's Horse of the Year and Champion Three-Year-Old Male.
In 1998, Free House won the Californian Handicap at Hollywood Park, then took the Pacific Classic at Del Mar over such stars as Gentlemen and Touch Gold. Then he flew to Belmont Park to run in an incredible race that featured Skip Away, Gentlemen, Coronado's Quest, and Running Stag, some of the best horses in training. Skip Away won that day and Free House displaced his pallette. He returned to California, this time to meet his old nemesis Silver Charm in the Goodwood Handicap.
Silver Charm defeated him again, but Free House would get the last laugh. After another California Horse of the Year title, as well as Champion Older Male, the charismatic star started 1999 with a win in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita over the previous year's Santa Anita Handicap winner Malek, and then headed for glory in the million dollar Big Cap itself. For the final time he raced Silver Charm, and his grit and guts prevailed again. This time he managed to look not only Silver Charm but also top runner Event of the Year in the eyes and still won. The sight of Trudy McCaffery kissing her pride and joy in the winner's circle never grew old. Fans surrouned the winners circle and cheered for the popular Free House. His tenacity and durability was appreciated.
Free House would have one more chance to show his heart and determination in the Pimlico Special against 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet. The two horses raced down the stretch as one, with Real Quiet proving the victor at the wire. Free House never ran again, retiring shortly after his archrival Silver Charm was retired. Free House went to stand his first year at stud at Vessels Farm in California.
His first winner was Head of the House at Hollywood Park in 2003. House of Fortune, a filly, became his first stakes winner and first graded stakes winner. He was tragically killed in an accident on July 19, 2004, when he reared during his bath and fell, hitting his head. Free House was ten at the time and had been standing at stud for five seasons.
It was quite a shock to learn of his death, as I was planning on going to visit him in mid-August. If anything, I can say I got to see him run, I got to see that white-rimmed eye staring back at me, and I got to see his devoted owner lavish tremendous amounts of love and affection on her "baby." Free House, a Californian through-and-through, will be missed tremendously.
