Spaliday goes last to first in Miss Liberty Stakes

Spaliday won her first stakes race, the Boiling Spring, last summer at Monmouth Park and affirmed her fondness for the local lawn with a last-to-first victory Sunday in the $102,000 Miss Liberty Stakes.

Off slowly and squeezed back to the rear of a seven-horse field, Spaliday stayed in last down the backstretch and into the far turn, where she began picking up steam, making a three-wide move while covered up by 7-5 favorite Mission of Joy, who ran wide with no cover.

Spaliday came into the homestretch with some momentum, changed leads past the three-sixteenths marker, and hit a gear no one else in the Miss Liberty came close to matching. Mohawk Trail drifted into her path at the sixteenth pole, but Spaliday paid no heed and stormed home a 2 1/2-length winner under Samuel Marin.

Joyful Lass, who set a slow pace, held second, a half-length in front of third-place Mohawk Trail. Mission of Joy had nothing for the stretch run and checked in last. Spaliday paid $9.20 and was timed in 1:43.35 for 1 1/16 miles over firm turf.

Chad Brown trains Spaliday for owner Peter Brant. The 4-year-old filly, now a four-time winner from just 10 starts, is by More Than Ready and out of the City Zip mare, Dayatthespa, the Brown-trained Eclipse Award winner as champion female turf horse of 2014.

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