Stormy Liberal to race in shortened Eddie D Stakes on Friday

Reigning Eclipse Award champion turf male Stormy Liberal, winless in five starts this year, is regrouping as he heads home to California for his final prep before he attempts to win a third consecutive edition of the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. He will run Friday in the Grade 2, $200,000 Eddie D Stakes, which will have a different look at five furlongs than the 6 1/2 furlongs Stormy Liberal won the race at last year.

The BC Turf Sprint, because of different racetrack configurations, has been run at distances from five furlongs to about 6 1/2 furlongs since it was added to the Breeders’ Cup program in 2008 at Santa Anita – where the race has been contested at 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside course. But on Nov. 2, the Turf Sprint will be shortened to five furlongs, as Santa Anita is not using its hillside course at the autumn meeting due to safety concerns.

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No down-the-hill sprints have been held since Arms Runner – owned by Stormy Liberal’s co-owner Rockingham Ranch and also trained by Peter Miller – suffered a fatal injury on the course in the Grade 3 San Simeon on March 31.

Stormy Liberal has won the last two editions of the Turf Sprint, at five furlongs in 2017 at Del Mar and 5 1/2 furlongs last year at Churchill Downs. He exited the 2018 Eddie D to outgun World of Trouble by a neck in the Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 119, one of the top numbers of the year.

Stormy Liberal, a 7-year-old gelding, started the season with a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Joe Hernandez at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day, then was beaten a head by Eddie Haskell in an allowance. He traveled to Dubai to finish third in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint behind the now-retired Blue Point.

Just shy of five months later, he returned to the races to finish third behind Mr Vargas and Eddie Haskell in the Grade 3 Green Flash at Del Mar. Most recently, he was fifth at Kentucky Downs in the Grade 3 Runhappy Turf Sprint, which was won by Totally Boss.

Mr Vargas and Eddie Haskell are expected to race in the Eddie D.