Improving Liberal Arts Schools Rivals in Street Sense

The added distance was key for Liberal Arts  in the Oct. 29 $200,000 Street Sense Stakes (G3) as the massive son of Arrogate needed the full 1 1/16 miles to find his best stride. And when he did, in the final sixteenth, he motored away from his rivals for a 2 3/4-length score.

Second and third when sprinting, Liberal Arts broke his maiden going seven furlongs at Ellis Park before running a sneaky-good third in the mile-Iroquois Stakes (G3) after being impeded by traffic late.

The extra sixteenth of the Street Sense proved right up his alley and after trailing the five-horse field early behind fractions of :23.73, :47.93, and 1:13.05,  Liberal Arts reeled in his rivals for a decisive victory in 1:45.60 on a sloppy (sealed) track.

“This horse really has improved as the distances got longer,” jockey Cristian Torres said of Liberal Arts. “Turning for home today I just had a ton of horse beneath me and I think he really appreciated going two turns. I got him to relax on the backside and he won like a professional today.”

The Street Sense gave Robert Medina his first graded stakes win as a trainer. A former assistant for Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Medina was the trainer for the privately-owned Blackwood Stables in Versailles, Ky. before launching his stable as a public trainer this past February.

Liberal Arts ($14.18), a 2-year-old homebred for Stephen Ferraro and Evan Ferraro, collected 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby after the Street Sense. Race runner-up Moonlight  earned 5 and third place finisher Informed Patriot  received 3. Fourth place Gettysburg Address  (2) and fifth place Northern Flame  (1) also pocketed points.

West Sunset Wires Field in Rags to Riches

Taking full advantage of a wet and messy track, jockey Flavien Prat sent West Sunset  to the front and never looked back as the pair splashed home 6 3/4-length winners of the $200,000 Rags to Riches Stakes.

The filly equivalent of the Street Sense Stakes, the Rags to Riches also rewards points to its winner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks on 10-5-3-2-1 scale.

With only a late running debut win to her credit, West Sunset darted to the early advantage when the gates opened and skipped clear. Cruising unchallenged through a moderate tempo of :24.33, :48,99, and 1:13.52, the daughter of West Coast   had plenty left in the tank when the field closed in, spurting away yet again down the lane.

The final time was 1:46.31 on a sloppy (sealed) track.

V V's Dream , who had opted for the Rags to Riches over a potential start in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), gave chase but couldn't put a dent in the winner's lead. The Pocahontas (G3) captress settled for third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Gin Gin  in second.

West Sunset ($17.72), a homebred for Gary and Mary West, is trained by Brad Cox.

Video: Rags to Riches S. (BT)

replay date="10/29/2023" country="USA" trackid="CD" racenumber="9"]