Brad Free a Refreshing Addition to TVG
Tuesday, September 5, 2017

    Brad Free has been a Daily Racing Form stalwart for years, both as a writer and a handicapper, and his recent presence on TVG is a welcome respite when compared to so many of the stale male and female entities we have been used to watching and who can't handicap their way out of a paper bag.  

    Case in point. In the eighth race at Indiana Grand today, Brad made his case, quite emphatically, for the No. 2 horse, Weregild, who was 20-1 in the morning line. Brad felt that the favorite, Promises to Keep, was okay but didn't justify his price of 4/5, and Weregild was a solid longshot for several reasons. Brad noted that he was adding blinkers for the first time, was going from dirt to turf and had some noticeable help in the pedigree department for that move, was going from sprints to a distance, and had the services of Deshawn Parker, whom he feels is the best turf rider in Indiana.

     Weregild was on the board at 20-1 for quite awhile until Free began his tutorial with about five or six minutes to post time. Then, on successive flashes, he dropped to 17-1, then 12-1, then 7-1, and Brad caught the drop. By the time the race went off, though, he had drifted back to 11-1, but somebody socked in a little cash, and I have to believe it was because of Brad's discussion. I know I went on-line and made a little play. 

    Weregild shot right to the lead and held it until the top of the stretch where he was joined by Promises to Keep, and the pair ding-donged it nose-to-nose all the way to the wire. It took several minutes for the judges before putting up the favorite, but Brad's handicapping was right on the money. Very refreshing and a great help on a Tuesday when the TV audience is made up mostly of a slew of neophytes.    

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