Posted
Saturday, November 4, 2017
The favorite ran into a political
nightmare Saturday, as 30-1 long shot Stormy Liberal ran a successful campaign to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, upsetting, among others, Lady Aurelia.
A 5-year-old son of Stormy Atlantic, who has now won five
of his last six races, Stormy Liberal clipped stablemate Richard’s Boy (13-1) by a half-nose at the wire
in the five-furlong race for 3-year-olds and upward, finishing at a final time
of :56.12.
Lady Aurelia, who came into the race as a clear-cut
favorite, going off at 4-5 odds, finished a dismal 10th place, while
Marsha, who defeated Lady Aurelia in the G1 Coolmore Nunthrope at Royal
Ascot in Aug, came up in sixth.
“He’s a really good horse and had been running good all the
time,” said winning jockey Joel Rosario, who cleared his career-sixth winning
mount in the Breeders’ Cup. “I just
listened to Peter (Miller) and what he said. He told me to just stay inside, save some
ground.”
The trainer Miller, who broke his maiden in the Breeders’ Cup with the
win — 0-for-9 lifetime prior to Saturday — cleared the exacta with Richard’s Boy
second place run.
“I had a lot of faith in these horses, both these
horses. They show up every time” said
the exuberant trainer.
“It was a just a surreal experience to see Richard’s Boy
look like he was going to win,” Miller continued. “I was watching Joel, and I’m rooting for
Joel, and I’m like, just one of you win, just one of you win. Somebody win, you know? To run one-two here for my first Breeders’
Cup and here at home is special.”
Stormy Liberal, who shot perfectly from the four-slot,
pushed neck-and-neck with Lady Aurelia from the gate before slowing down along
the rail, allowing a crop of five frontrunners — including the post-time favorite — to
set the pace.
“I just break out of the gate, and I asked my horse a little
bit,” Rosario said. “Peter
told me, 'Don’t just get your position.' He
has a lot of speed, but he wanted me to just follow and save some ground and
just stay on the inside. That worked out
perfect.”
The lifetime earner of $988,570 watched fellow longshot lead
the pack to a 1/4 time of :21.98, while Millers’ Richard’s Boy, who was ridden
by Flavian Prat, kept a consistent second place push from the half pole, which
was cleared at :44.57.
Stormy Liberal, the Kentucky bred product of Rockingham
Ranch — who was claimed at a modest $40,000 by owner Gary Hartunian — blazed from
the off the rail on the final turn, using an open gap three lengths off the
rail to breeze past the outside of Pure Sensation and Richard’s Boy.
“I had two jockeys that know the course and two horses that
know the course, and it turned out to work in our favor,” said Miller of his
two big winners on the day.
Disco Partner (5-1) completed the trifecta, which paid a
whopping $660.20 on the $1 trifecta, and $277.50 on the single exacta.
