Two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal, the male turf champion of 2018 and subject of a contentious debate between his current owner and former trainer, has been retired to Old Friends Farm in Kentucky, owner David Bernsen announced Wednesday.

Cristian Torres already has accomplished far more than he could have rightfully expected. So when voting results for the 2019 Eclipse Awards are announced early next month, Torres will regard being named a finalist for outstanding apprentice rider as a bonus.

“I never expected things would be going so good,” Torres, 22, told Gulfstream Park publicity last weekend. “I just have to keep working hard and keep going forward.”

Ralph Nicks said he will proceed judiciously with Untitled, a 2-year-old colt who earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure when debuting Saturday with an 11-length victory in a six-furlong maiden race for Florida-breds.

Untitled finished in 1:10.17, yielding the second-highest Beyer among all 2-year-olds in the United States so far this year. The highest is a 101 by Independence Hall in the Nashua at Aqueduct.

J P’s Delight will go through the sales ring next month, but it’s yet to be determined whether the unbeaten filly will have another race before then.

Brent Fernung, who bred and owns J P’s Delight in partnership with Eugene Cahalan, said this week that the 3-year-old filly has returned to the Ocala Training Center and will get “a week or so just to be a horse.” He said “we’ll have to decide whether or not to run her again” before she is sold at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. on Jan. 28-29.

Gary Wilfert, who worked for decades as a high-ranking racing official in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio prior to his retirement in 2009, died Sunday night at his home in Greenfield, Ind., after years of declining health. He was 67.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The Aqueduct winter meet is only a week old and already the richest races of the season have been run.

Bank On Shea and A Freud of Mama won the $500,000 divisions of the New York Stallion Stakes for males and females, respectively.

Bank On Shea beat favored Dream Bigger by a nose in Saturday’s Great White Way division. The son of Central Banker ran seven furlongs in 1:26.59 over a sloppy track and earned a 77 Beyer Speed Figure.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Backsideofthemoon may be on the back side of his career, but the 7-year-old gelding has proven a hot commodity at the claim box.

In August, in the 36th start of his career, Backsideofthemoon was claimed for $62,500 by a group that included owner Michael Imperio and trainer Rudy Rodriguez. Three starts later, on Nov. 24, Backsideofthemoon was claimed for $100,000 by trainer Bob Klesaris on behalf of owner Charles Hallas.

The talented 2-year-old filly trainer Brad Cox has entered in a sprint stakes Saturday at Fair Grounds strikes Cox as a route horse. But the talented 2-year-old colt Cox entered in a route allowance race Saturday at Fair Grounds, Cox isn’t totally convinced he’ll go long.

The horses in question are Taraz, who is set to start in the six-furlong Letellier Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, and Mr. Monomoy, who races in a two-turn dirt allowance that functions as a prep race for the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes next month.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux doesn’t get in a hurry with his young horses. His normal method of operation: Give a horse a debut race to get the hang of things, then start bearing down.

“It’s not a secret I don’t usually win first time out,” Desormeaux said.

And yet the Desormeaux-trained Shashashakemeup was no secret in his first start last month at Churchill Downs. He broke from the rail, showed good early speed, and kicked into gear to run off to a 5 1/2-length maiden score, paying just $7.60 to win.

Georgina Baxter and Elizabeth Dobles now share even more in common.

They’re women who have made a pretty solid dent in the male-dominated training ranks at Gulfstream Park in the last year or two. Remarkably, they notched the first graded wins of their respective careers within a couple of hours of each other Saturday at the South Florida track when Lady’s Island dominated the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl for Baxter and War Story captured the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday for Dobles.