Unconquerable Keen surges past Sorrento Sky in Stormy Liberal

DEL MAR, Calif. - Whether he leads throughout or closes from off the pace, the Stormy Liberal Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar has been the highlight of the last two seasons for the Irish-bred gelding Unconquerable Keen.

Last December, Unconquerable Keen led throughout the Stormy Liberal Stakes, recording his first stakes win. Now 5, Unconquerable Keen won the $102,000 race again on Sunday by closing from last of nine under jockey Umberto Rispoli.

Trainer Phil D’Amato credited Rispoli for his week-to-week work with Unconquerable Keen this fall to teach the 5-year-old how to run from off the pace.

“He’s been getting him to relax and finish,” D’Amato said.

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Unconquerable Keen ($13.60) had a clean trip in the Stormy Liberal. Last briefly on the backstretch, Unconquerable Keen was sixth on the turn while racing on the inside.

Rispoli said it was vital to keep some of Unconquerable Keen’s energy in reserve while following Sassy Nature, who set a quick pace of 21.57 seconds in the opening quarter-mile.

“If you let him run too much, you will be empty at the end,” Rispoli said. “The fact the pace was hot and fast, it helped me a lot.”

Rispoli moved Unconquerable Keen between runners in the stretch and caught stretch leader Sorrento Sky, the 7-2 favorite who is trained by D’Amato.

Unconquerable Keen won by a half-length, finishing in 56.32 seconds. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 95.

Sorrento Sky led by a half-length with a furlong remaining, which jockey Kazushi Kimura thought was enough of an advantage to win. Sorrento Sky closed from third on the turn to lead briefly.

“I got through on the inside and got room,” Kimura said. “He got a little tired at the end.”

Sorrento Sky was one of two 3-year-olds in the Stormy Liberal field.

“He’s improving and he’s going to be all right,” Kimura said.

Boss Sully (44-1) was always near the front and finished third, a length behind Sorrento Sky. Just Nails, who was prominent briefly in early stretch, finished fourth, and was followed by Turn On The Jets, Johnny Podres, Noble Reflection, Slider and Sassy Nature.

Unconquerable Keen, who has won 7 of 20 starts and earned $333,089, was a two-time winner in Ireland in 2021 and 2022 before he was sent to California. Aside from two runnings of the Stormy Liberal, Unconquerable Keen has won three allowance races for turf sprinters in California since May 2023.

Unconquerable Keen, who races for the partnership of John Rochfort, Omar Aldabbagh, and Michael Nentwig, is the first two-time winner of the Stormy Liberal which was only introduced in 2022.

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