Liberation to try turf in rematch with Cecilia Street

Liberation and Cecilia Street, the first two finishers in Sunday’s $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes at Los Alamitos, are likely to have a rematch next month at Santa Anita. Their respective trainers, John Sadler and Leonard Powell, said on Monday that the $175,000 California Cup Oaks for 3-year-old statebred fillies at a mile on turf is a logical goal.

Liberation, a winner of 3 of 6 starts, has yet to start on turf, but Sadler said her pedigree “plus her action” are two reasons to give the surface a try. Liberation is by Omaha Beach out of Ponytail, by Lonhro.

“I think she’ll like the grass,” he said.

Liberation won the mile-long Soviet Problem Stakes by a half-length after setting the pace.

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“The race was better than shown,” Sadler said. “She would have been better off sitting second.”

Cecilia Street, the winner of a maiden race at a mile on turf for California-bred fillies at Del Mar on Nov. 14, was making her stakes debut in the Soviet Problem. She closed from third to be a threat to Liberation through the stretch.

“I thought it was a good run,” Powell said. “The winner was best on the day, but we gave her a good challenge.”

Sadler has two more chances for additional stakes wins at Los Alamitos before the track’s current two-week meeting ends on Sunday. On Saturday, he plans to run Captivator in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity at 1 1/16 miles. Captivator won a six-furlong maiden race by 10 1/4 lengths at Del Mar on Nov. 8 in his second start.

In Sunday’s $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for statebred 2-year-olds at a mile, Sadler intends to start Can’t Help Myself, who was third in the seven-furlong Golden State Juvenile at Del Mar on Oct. 31.

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