Woodbine racetrack will be one base for horses owned by Angelo and James Freda’s new Ilium Stables in 2020 and the New York-born family can’t wait to get started.
In fact, the Fredas’ first horse purchase came just two years ago and it was an Ontario-bred colt they named Tecumseh’s War, purchased after the 2018 Keeneland September yearling sale from breeders Arika Everett Meeuse and Time Meeuse. The son of Summer Front won his career debut on the turf at Indiana Downs in 2019 and he is Queen’s Plate eligible. He is one of four horses trained by Catherine Day Phillips for the Fredas.
“I have loved horse racing since I was 16,” said Angelo Freda from his home in Connecticut, just outside of New York. “My son was an equestrian rider and we talked about one day getting a farm for the [show] horses, but I told him there was no money in that.
“I don’t know if there is any money in Thoroughbred racing, but we decided to go for it,” laughed Angelo.
Freda is a financial adviser born in Italy who also writes fiction; he has several books published, while James is an attorney and Judicial Affairs Officer at the United Nations.
Yes, they are busy, but they have immersed themselves fully into learning as much as they can about racing, breeding and the history of the sport.
Take the name of their stable, for instance.
“Ilium stands for the city of Troy and there, Hector was the great warrior who trained horses,” said Angelo. The stable silks also depict the name.
The Fredas have kept good company early in their racing business with top trainer Brad Cox and analytics expert Suzanne Smallwood of Equix being among their early advisors.
It has started pretty well. Not only did Tecumseh’s War win his career debut, but their other 2018 yearling purchase, Jezebel’s Kitten, by Kitten’s Joy, won the $500,000 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies stakes at Kentucky Downs last summer.
The family has added to its stable; now they own nine horses and four will be in training at Woodbine with Day Phillips. They have said they eventually want to have a stable of about 20 to 25.
“We love history and we analyze everything,” said Angelo. “We looked into the history of Woodbine and loved it and we really like what they are doing there.”
Then the Fredas set out to find a Woodbine-based trainer.
“We looked at a lot of trainers, looked at numbers, their success and looked into their background. We spoke to Catherine a few months ago and loved what she was saying and we were thrilled to get her.”
Angelo also researched one of their newest acquisitions, Billy Yank, a 2-year-old colt by Union Rags – Tiz Imaginary by Tiznow, bred by the late Bill Graham and foaled in Caledon, ON. “We like to know where our horses come from and we found out a lot about [the horses bred by] Mr. Graham.”
Billy Yank was bought for $100,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September sale. (continued below)
BILLY YANK, a 2-year-old by Union Rags bred by the late Bill Graham, will be training at Woodbine in 2020 for the Fredas. Photo courtesy Ilium Stables
Their enthusiasm for the sport is easy to see through their social media presence which supports all aspects of racing and promotes the latest and greatest news in racing and breeding. They are advocates for racehorse retirement, too.
Speaking of breeding, that is the next phase of Ilium, says Angelo.
“We don’t have a farm yet. That will be the next phase, we’re trying to figure out where to put the farm first. We would like to get into breeding and also have a place to put our retired horses.”
The Fredas have not yet been to Woodbine racetrack, but will surely be in attendance as soon as the track opens and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic are loosened, allowing spectators to be on site.
“We’re still new to it, but we want to bring something different to the table. We’re excited.”
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