Liberty National might be the value play of the Grade 3, $1 million Southwest Stakes on Friday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. He’s listed at 10-1 on the morning line in the Kentucky Derby points race, one start after finishing a troubled second as the favorite in the Gun Runner at Fair Grounds. “This horse is going the right direction real fast,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “He really should have won his last race. If you look, he got bumped pretty hard by the eventual winner leaving there, probably cost him two or three lengths. And then once he gathered himself back up, he came up the rail. Real pro. Got beat a half-length and galloped out about three in front.” McPeek won the Southwest in 2024 with Mystik Dan, who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby. In Liberty National, he has a horse who is proven at two turns by virtue of a maiden special weight win at 1 1/16 miles in November at Churchill Downs. Liberty National is a son of the Street Sense stallion Maxfield and he’s from the female family of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Tiznow. “This is a horse that’s got a chance to put some good runs together this spring,” said McPeek. :: Live racing action at Oaklawn Park! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Liberty National is based at Fair Grounds, and while McPeek said plans are to run in the Southwest, he is keeping the Risen Star at home as an option as he monitors the weather and other conditions in the aftermath of a winter storm that swept through Arkansas. A final decision on the horse’s status will be made on Thursday. Liberty National’s value in the Southwest extends beyond the windows Friday. The horse, who is owned by Brookdale Racing and Fern Circle Stable, is also part of a new sports investment initiative called Morning Line. It’s a “trading platform that allows users to buy and sell sports assets easily,” according to the website for the company that was co-founded by Tom Taaffe. “You can buy into him on Morning Line,” McPeek said of Liberty National. “Also Blackout Time, Universe. “I believe in innovation in the sport. I think it’s unique and I agreed to work with these guys on offering some percentages of the horses I own part of, and I think it very well could be good for the game.” Just as Liberty National could be good for horseplayers Friday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.