Now Hear This Racing, ‘Rising Star’ Kaitlin Free Has Next

[Wandering Eyes]

Florence, KY–“Okay, I'm coming!” said Kaitlin Free.

Bursting into a small room sandwiched between the announcer's booth and Free's broadcast studio at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, the Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) analyst was only halfway through applying her mascara and eyeliner, but that wasn't going to stop her from watching Flood Zone (Frosted) take the GII Gotham Stakes.

With half her face on and the other 'au naturel,' Free's eyes were glued to the screen as she watched intently, offered an assessment as the field blazed for the far turn and when the colt won she ticked off her punch list.

“Whoa, those Frosteds keep putting up some big performances,” she said. “Look at the way he finished. I am thinking two turns is in his future. Wathnan and Cox make a combo, don't they?”

As you can surmise, Free is not shy. Not by a longshot. Growing up north of Cincinnati the future handicapper was given the nickname 'Megaphone' by her mother and rightly so. Then she had the ability to project that voice of hers. She's still at it.

Mind you, Free isn't a loudmouth because her core values are all about substance over style. She lives, breathes and sleeps Thoroughbred racing. She's a 'rising star' in the game's youth movement for CDI which has her stationed under the Twin Spires, in Florence over the winter and at Colonial Downs in Virginia during the summer.

Wherever Free is, she always seems to be right at home with those salt of the earth horseplayers. If you want to talk about her hometown Reds, then she is more than happy to oblige.

As a millennial–not a derogatory label– who has only been in the game for a handful of years, she's remarkably well-versed when it comes to her carefully curated repertoire.

“When I first started working for Churchill in the paddock, I interviewed Bill Mott,” said Free. “He looked at me and said 'who are you?'”

Free was captivated by horses at an early age and implored her parents to let her ride. She was like Harry Potter's Hermione Granger, from 'muggle' parents. These were non-racing folk. Free wore them down over the years and finally they relented. She soaked up all things equine with continued trips to Beulah Park and River Downs, but when she went to Churchill Downs for the first time in 2010 that sold her. Before graduating from high school in 2013, Free was bitten by the jockey bug and there was no cure.

“I went to training centers and tried to get folks to let me ride their horses,” she said. “I got down to like 97 pounds and then I had a pretty serious accident, which really ended my journey. But, I got back up.”

Attending college in Ohio, Free continued to follow the sport and took classes with the intent of becoming an equine veterinarian. Just being around them was special to her and soon she realized that the racetrack could be a landing spot for a career.

Wintergreen Stakes break at Turfway Park | Coady Media

Working tirelessly, she began to delve deeply into pedigrees, sire reports and a Thoroughbred's conformation. She watched sales videos, ingested the history of the sport like an all-you-can-eat buffet and learned to turn the form into a dissection. Some of her favorite runners from the past include Game On Dude, Groupie Doll and she even goes old school with the legendary Seattle Slew.

“It was a deep dive into the physical,” said Free about her learning process over the years. “I just became enamored with different tracks, surfaces and international racing in Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. These were places where watching them race was just fascinating at all hours into the night. The turf racing especially is what I am all about.”

Free got a job working at TVG, and no, she's not related to DRF's Brad Free as some have suggested. She switched to CDI where she has worked as an on-air analyst for the past several years. It was a full-circle moment returning to Louisville.

“I've really had the opportunity to come into my own being alongside some wonderful people and a great company,” she said. “I feel confident that when I speak about a particular horse or to a rider outside the jocks' room that I know how to get the best out of the interview.”

Earning her stripes along the way, Free's following has snowballed. However, she knows whom to credit.

“Getting to know strong women like Donna Brothers and Jill Byrne who have done so much over the course of their careers has been fabulous for me,” said Free. “They are two people who I greatly admire and have been in my corner every step of the way.”

Drawing from mentors like Brothers and Byrne has given the CDI analyst inspiration to tackle loads of different assignments. Taking the reins as the featured handicapper at Turfway, Free has carved a niche for herself at a track that is experiencing a renaissance over the past year. Turfway sports a well-backed purse structure, robust field sizes, and pairing with track announcer Tony Calo the duo forms a strong simulcast front.

“She's a special individual and she's such a student of the game and she's so impressive when it comes to her knowledge about breeding,” said Calo. “I'd say she is wise beyond her years and we are lucky to have someone of her caliber on this broadcast because her future is bright.”

Kaitlin Free and track announcer Tony Calo talk racing before a simulcast | JN Campbell

When Free is behind the camera she says she feels comfortable and it is always an opportunity to talk about the sport she loves. This past year she tipped that Mystik Dan (Goldencents) would win the GI Kentucky Derby and of course he did. She was the only reporter to interview Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert after he made his triumphal return to Churchill Downs when Barnes (Into Mischief) broke his maiden in late November.

“I really thrive in those types of moments,” Free said. “We weren't planning on interviewing Baffert, then they told me to go for it. I was surrounded by a throng of cameras from the local stations and it was fun to be in the middle of it all getting to ask the questions.”

With several feathers in her cap, Free continues to fly the flag for her age bracket. This week she is headed to cover the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs and then she will be back at Turfway for the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks–both Derby Trail stops.

Free will bring her carry-on brand of handicapping wherever she goes. When asked about what she looks for in a racehorse, you will get an in-depth lesson in handicapping.

“I look at the ears, what the task is at hand and I can tell you this all-weather course at Turfway demands that you know conformations,” she said. “I used to argue with the great Chuck Simon, God rest his soul, and I loved talking with him endlessly about breeding and whether horses could be bred for this surface.”

What does the future hold for Free's career? According to her, she is keeping her options open.

“I love international racing and want to travel to Hong Kong and Japan to cover the biggest races,” she said. “They have set the standard globally, but I am also interested in a career as a steward. I could see myself doing that. I am not going to work in news or for a non-racing network. I love horses too much.”

On any given night at Turfway during the track's renaissance you can find the 'Megaphone' providing analysis or calling a dead heat the split second it happens. Whatever Kaitlin Free does, this rising star has next.

The post Now Hear This Racing, ‘Rising Star’ Kaitlin Free Has Next appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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