Monday's rescheduled Affirmed Stakes was run at a breakneck clip, and that suited the class-dropping SECURED FREEDOM (c, 3, Practical Joke–Securely, by Uncle Mo), who made a long run from three furlongs out and overcame some late greenness to win for the first time in stakes company.Settled in fifth position as Mo Koko (Mo Town) and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Decisive Win (Nyquist) match-raced into the clubhouse turn, Secured Freedom was content to bide his time from midfield and improved past a rival to be fourth approaching the second bend.Ridden along by Joel Rosario, the Virginia-bred Secured Freedom began to zero in on the gasping pacesetters and rolled up to poke his head in front four or five deep at the quarter pole. The bay colt, getting the blinkers off from Tim Yakteen, appeared to idle some, allowing One More Freud (Tonalist) to loom a threat inside the final furlong, but Secured Freedom got his mind back on business in the final 40 yards and held sway to the line to score at the 13-10 chalk.Secured Freedom was exiting a fourth to 'TDN Rising Stars' Crude Velocity (Beau Liam) and Englishman (Maxfield) in the GII Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on May 2.The final time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:45.32.Sales history: $110,000 Ylg '24 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 6-2-0-1. O-Pierre Amestoy Jr, Leslie Amestoy & Roger Beasley; B-Audley Farm Equine (VA); T-Tim Yakteen #4 SECURED FREEDOM ($4.60) circled the leaders coming to the stretch to win the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes at @santaanitapark. The son of Practical Joke (@coolmoreamerica) was ridden by @JRosarioJockey and is trained by @timyakteen. pic.twitter.com/1JHz0VGSX1— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) June 15, 2026The post Practical Joke’s Secured Freedom Gets Right Set-Up in Affirmed appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.