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Barbara D. Livingston

Cost of Freedom, now 10, won the Grade 1 Ancient Title in 2008.

Trainer Genaro Vallejo may have gone against the grain when he put down $12,500 to claim the 10-year-old Cost of Freedom at Golden Gate Fields on April 6 for Battle Born Racing and Nick Ferrara.

The Cees Tizzy gelding won his second straight race that day but went to the sidelines for 11 weeks before a last-place finish for $16,000 at Pleasanton on June 29. That was followed by a fifth-place finish as the even-money favorite under Russell Baze in an $8,000 turf sprint at Santa Rosa.

Cost of Freedom was less than $800 away from becoming a million-dollar earner before those two races and was $291 away when he took on four rivals in a $10,000 claimer at Golden Gate Fields on Friday.

If he could beat one horse, he would become a millionaire, but he did better than that. He won the race and got to pose in the winners circle as a millionaire.

That was awesome, said Vallejo about reaching the milestone with a victory.

Cost of Freedom won the Grade 1 Ancient Title in 2008, and after his two lackluster tries, some people wondered if maybe he should be retired. But Vallejo figured Cost of Freedom needed a shot on Golden Gates Tapeta surface to regain his form.

Hes a synthetic horse, Vallejo said. In that turf race, he got hit by a rock early, and Russell just kept him safe after that.

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Golden Gate Fields notes: Cost of Freedom reaches million-dollar mark in style