Stormy Liberal, Leinster Meet in Runhappy Turf Sprint

Half brothers Stormy Liberal and Leinster are expected to meet for the first time Sept. 7 in the $700,000 Runhappy Turf Sprint Stakes (G3T) at Kentucky Downs, and the two have taken different paths until this point.

The Turf Sprint will serve as a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series "Win and You're In" race for the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) at Santa Anita Park. Stormy Liberal has won the championship race the past two years, while Leinster could punch his ticket to his first Breeders' Cup with a victory Saturday.

Rockingham Ranch's Stormy Liberal was the first sprinter to claim the Eclipse Award for champion turf male in 2018. The Stormy Atlantic  gelding is looking for his first win as a 7-year-old after placing in four starts this season. Peter Miller last sent out Stormy Liberal to finish third in the Aug. 17 Green Flash Handicap (G3T) at Del Mar, his first start since a third in the March 30 Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments (G1) in Dubai.

While Stormy Liberal is proven at the top level, Amy Dunne's 4-year-old Leinster is just hitting his peak and enters off three consecutive victories. It took the Majestic Warrior colt 14 tries to break his maiden, doing so in Keeneland allowance company in his third start with trainer Rusty Arnold, but he wasted no time in notching his first stakes in his first try in the Aug. 3 Troy Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. Leinster set a track record for 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:00.23, though Carotari knocked the record down to 1:00.21 in an Aug. 17 allowance.

Leinster will break from post 8 with Tyler Gaffalione in the irons. Stormy Liberal will be in post 9 with Ricardo Santana Jr.

Stormy Liberal and Leinster are out of the Royal Academy mare Vassar. They were bred in Kentucky by Gryphon Investments, with Dapple Bloodstock a co-breeder of Stormy Liberal.

Leinster has already defeated a grade 1 winner. David Palmer's Wet Your Whistle, who won the June 29 Highlander Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, had his four-race winning streak snapped when fourth in the Troy. The Michael Trombetta trainee is 2-for-2 at Saturday's six-furlong distance.

Like Leinster and Wet Your Whistle, Breeze Easy's Imprimis will carry 125 pounds, and the other seven entries were assigned 121. Trainer Joseph Orseno has Imprimis entered for his first start since sixth in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot June 18. Prior to that, Imprimis overcame a stumble at the start to score in Keeneland's April 6 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) by a neck.

Morticia Seeks Rebound in Ladies Sprint

Twelve fillies and mares, plus three also-eligibles, have been entered for the $500,000 Spendthrift Farm Ladies Sprint Stakes (G3T) going 6 1/2 furlongs. G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s homebred Morticia, who was also bred by trainer Arnold, will try to rebound from finishing fourth as the favorite last out in the Aug. 17 Smart N Fancy Stakes at Saratoga, but she'll face two of the mares who finished in front of her. 

Morticia, a 5-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy , has put together a consistent 24-race career, finishing in the money 20 times. She's won two races from six starts this year, including the April 13 Giant's Causeway Stakes at Keeneland.

Team Valor International's homebred Oleksandra, the Smart N Fancy winner, enters off her first stakes victory. Ruby Notion, the defending Ladies Sprint winner owned by Silverton Hill, returns from a third-place finish in the Smart N Fancy.

Stepping up to graded company for the first time is Lloyd Madison Farms' May Lily, who won the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Sprint Stakes Aug. 4 at Ellis Park.

Cambria Hopes to Stay Perfect in Juvenile Turf Sprint

Stonestreet Stables' homebred filly Cambria will take on the boys as she steps up in the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint Stakes. The daughter of Speightstown  out of grade 2 winner Teen Pauline won on debut May 20 on Presque Isle Downs' all-weather surface and returned to win at the allowance level there July 30.

Cambria will make her turf debut Saturday when she goes 6 1/2 furlongs for the first time. She breezed a bullet half-mile in :46 flat on dirt at Wesley Ward's Keeneland base Aug. 30.

Trainer Mark Casse entered two Into Mischief  colts: Live Oak Plantation's Souper Dormy and Tracy Farmer's homebred Prince of Thieves. Souper Dormy is out of Truly Blushed, a multiple stakes winner on turf, and was purchased in 2018 for $400,000 from Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services' consignment to The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale in New York. He won on debut July 12 on Ellis Park's turf. Prince of Thieves debuted July 26 on the grass at Ellis, also scoring first time out.

The priciest entrant is Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables, and LNJ Foxwoods' Invader. Gainesway consigned the War Front  colt to last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where Cromwell Bloodstock purchased him for $500,000. Invader is the third foal out of the group 3-winning Galileo mare Say, making him a full brother to Summer Stakes (G1T) winner Fog of War and English stakes winner Naval Intelligence. 

Invader is also trained by Ward and was sixth in his lone start July 6 on Belmont Park's turf.

Entries: Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint S.

Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 07, 2019, Race 6

• STK
• 6 1/2f
• Turf
• $500,000
• 2 yo
• 3:05 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Silver Prospector (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	119	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1
2	2Johnny Unleashed (KY)	Miguel Mena	121	Eric N. Foster	12/1
3	3City Front (KY)	Edgar Morales	121	John R. Dyer	30/1
4	4Cambria (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Wesley A. Ward	12/1
5	5Souper Dormy (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Mark E. Casse	9/2
6	6How Ironic (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	118	Victoria H. Oliver	15/1
7	7Invader (KY)	Julio A. Garcia	119	Wesley A. Ward	20/1
8	8Prince of Thieves (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Mark E. Casse	10/1
9	9Chimney Rock (LA)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Michael J. Maker	7/2
10	10Alcools (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Peter Miller	6/1
11	11Scocciatore (NY)	Joel Rosario	121	Chris J. Englehart	6/1
12	12Axiomo (KY)	Rayan Gazader	121	Mikhail Yanakov	8/1

Entries: Runhappy Turf Sprint S. (G3T)

Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 07, 2019, Race 7

• Grade IIIT
• 6f
• Turf
• $700,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 3:53 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Wet Your Whistle (KY)	Alex Cintron	125	Michael J. Trombetta	8/1
2	2Cautious Giant (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Michael J. Maker	15/1
3	3Imprimis (FL)	Paco Lopez	125	Joseph F. Orseno	4/1
4	4Smart Remark (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
5	5Undrafted (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	121	Wesley A. Ward	10/1
6	6White Flag (KY)	Joel Rosario	121	Christophe Clement	8/1
7	7Jazzy Times (KY)	James Graham	121	Wesley E. Hawley	15/1
8	8Leinster (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	125	George R. Arnold, II	3/1
9	9Stormy Liberal (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	121	Peter Miller	9/2
10	10Totally Boss (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	George R. Arnold, II	6/1

Entries: Spendthrift Farm Ladies Sprint S. (G3T)

Kentucky Downs, Saturday, September 07, 2019, Race 9

• Grade IIIT
• 6 1/2f
• Turf
• $500,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 5:01 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Raven's Lady (GB)	Julien R. Leparoux	121	Patrick L. Biancone	15/1
2	2Pastime (KY)	Edgar Morales	121	Victoria H. Oliver	20/1
3	3Oleksandra (AUS)	Joel Rosario	123	Neil D. Drysdale	3/1
4	4A Little Bit Me (KY)	Joe Bravo	121	Richard Baltas	10/1
5	5Coexistence (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Joe Sharp	15/1
6	6Painting Corners (FL)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	123	Peter Miller	8/1
7	7Morticia (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	121	George R. Arnold, II	4/1
8	8Cool Beans (KY)	Florent Geroux	121	Brad H. Cox	10/1
9	9Tiny Tina (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	121	Philip D'Amato	10/1
10	10Ruby Notion (WV)	Rafael Bejarano	121	Darrin Miller	6/1
11	11Stillwater Cove (KY)	Paco Lopez	121	Wesley A. Ward	20/1
12	12May Lily (KY)	Gabriel Saez	123	Gregory D. Foley	15/1
13	13La Dame Blanche (KY)	Chris Landeros	121	Ian R. Wilkes	20/1
14	14Therighttobeararms (KY)	Tyler Baze	121	William R. Helmbrecht	50/1
15	15She's All Skeet (KY)	Adam Beschizza	121	Joe Sharp	30/1