Stormy Liberal up late in Eddie D Stakes

ARCADIA, Calif. – Stormy Liberal is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 on a three-race winning streak.

The winner of the 2017 BC Turf Sprint at Del Mar, Stormy Liberal won Friday’s Grade 3 Eddie D Stakes at Santa Anita by a head over stablemate Conquest Tsunami. The first two finishers are trained by Peter Miller. They are by the stallion Stormy Atlantic.

The $101,380 Eddie D. Stakes was the top race on the opening day of the track’s 22-day autumn meeting, which runs through Nov. 4.

Stormy Liberal, who was favored, paid $6.40 and ran about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course in 1:10.93, just missing the 2014 course record of 1:10.73 set by Eddie’s First. Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Stormy Liberal was always near the front and caught 2-1 Conquest Tsunami in the final strides.

Van Dyke rode Stormy Liberal to two wins in five-furlong turf races at the Del Mar summer meeting – an allowance race with a $100,000 claiming option on July 25 and the Green Flash Handicap on Aug. 17. In both races, Stormy Liberal won by a nose after stalking the pace.

In the Eddie D., Stormy Liberal trailed Conquest Tsunami by 1 1/2 lengths with a furlong remaining, a margin Van Dyke thought was manageable.

“I had that horse measured,” he said.

Conquest Tsunami finished three-quarters of a length in front of 7-1 Caribou Club, who was followed by Law Abidin Citizen, Kenjisstorm, Threefiveindia, Cistron, He Will, and Touching Rainbows.

The first two finishers are likely for the $1 million BC Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Stormy Liberal, a 6-year-old gelding, has won 11 of 29 starts and earned $1,368,930. He is campaigned by Rockingham Ranch and David Bernsen. The Eddie D Stakes was Stormy Liberal’s seventh career stakes win.