Collusionist: One of Colorado’s All Time Best
Kylene Freel has always considered Arapahoe Park in Aurora, Colorado, her home. Her grandfather was a horse trainer, “I was basically born in the barn” Freel said.
So, when Freel began working as a groom for trainer O.A. Martinez and his wife Charlotte in the summer of 2021, and she watched one of the most successful Colorado-breds ever step off the trailer, she was starstruck, “I was like, this is him, like in the flesh. I never thought I would be able to work with such an influential horse.”
Freel has worked for many trainers at Arapahoe Park, including Riley Parsons, Rafael Barraza, and the late Kenneth “Butch” Gleason, who trained the second-highest earning Colorado-bred Get Happy Mister, winner of the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
So, she was accustomed to being beaten by Collusionist, “Sometimes we’d have horses in with him and we’re like, well, Collusionist is in there. So, we’re just gonna give it our best shot because we know he (Collusionist) loves the track.”
Love the track, you bet. Collusionist has ran 26 times at Arapahoe Park with 21 wins. He has raced from ages 2 to 6 and has won sprinting, routing, versus statebreds and open competition, on fast tracks and sloppy ones.
Among his victories are four wins in the CTBA Mount Elbert Stakes, three Arapahoe Park Sprint Stakes, two Front Range Stakes, the Butch Gleason Classic, Firecracker Stakes, Aspen Stakes, Inaugural Stakes, Get Happy Mister Stakes, CTBA Derby and the Silver Cup Futurity.
Collusionist was foaled on February 25, 2016. He is by Arizona-bred and Arizona-based stallion Ez Effort (In Excess (IRE)) and out of California-bred mare Pretty Amazing (Benchmark) who is a full sister to California-bred sprint grade 1 winner Idiot Proof.
Collusionist was purchased for $8,000 by Eli Diamant as hip 51 at the Colorado Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association 2017 Silver Cup Sale.
Collusionist burst onto the racing scene as a 2-year-old with a “Silky Sullivan debut” said then track announcer Jonathan Horowitz. Silky Sullivan was a fan-favorite California-bred racehorse in the 1950s known for his closing out of the clouds running style.
Collusionist missed the start and trailed the frontrunners by 19 lengths at one point. He was not visible on race replay until the home stretch where he closed with a rush to win his debut by a length and a half.
In the barn, Collusionist was known for his antics as a 2-year-old. He dropped trainer O.A. Martinez from the saddle multiple times—to this day Martinez refuses to let anyone else gallop Collusionist in the morning.
It was a different sort of pressure being on his team however, especially when the team learned he was nearing the record for earnings by a Colorado-bred racehorse, “It just added more pressure to him running in general,” said Freel. “There’s always pressure because everyone wants to beat Collusionist.”
“I think what makes him so special is how his own mentality is on race day,” said Freel. “He knows what his job is and he loves to do it.”
Freel said that his jockey Travis Wales, leading rider at Arapahoe Park the last two years, said he’s just along for the ride. Collusionist knows exactly how much he needs to give and when it give it.
Freel’s favorite win of Collusionst’s was the 2022 Butch Gleason Classic. The Butch Gleason Classic, formerly the Arapahoe Park Classic, is the premier race for older thoroughbreds in Colorado. Freel was grooming Maius at the time, an accomplished Colorado-bred stablemate of Collusionist with the same owner Eli Diamant. “Maius bearing down, ears-pinned, all of the sudden here comes Collusionist,” said Freel.
Collusionist won the 2022 Butch Gleason Classic by two lengths over Maius. Due to their shared ownership, both horses were led into the winner’s circle for a photo.
In the 2023 Butch Gleason Classic, with Collusionist’s undefeated season and the earnings record on the line, he was unable to defend his title and finished fourth after a troubled trip.
Collusionist rounded out his 2023 campaign with $381,208 in career earnings, short of Rusty Canyon’s $392,707 record and just a few thousand less than G3W Get Happy Mister.
In preparation for his seventh year of racing, Collusionist will spend the winter at a farm near Pheonix, “It’s very important he gets his time to be a horse.” said Freel.
When it is time for Collusionist to hang up his racing shoes, he won’t be leaving the racetrack. The plan is for him to be the stable’s pony upon retirement. As for Freel, the ultimate goal is to one day open her own stable as a trainer.
