Stormy Liberal Back for 2018 Turf Sprint

Rockingham Ranch color-bearers Stormy Liberal and Richard's Boy, the top two finishers in the 2017 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), will again face off in the 2018 edition of the grassy dash, but the conditions will be significantly different.

Most notably, the familiar rivals will not be running on their home turf.

As well as the two Peter Miller-trained geldings have run in Southern California, that form hasn't often led to victories outside of the Golden State. Stormy Liberal, last year's Turf Sprint victor, has never won in four starts outside of California. Richard's Boy has one victory from six starts, his lone score by a neck in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) undercard.

Stormy Liberal, who has earned more than $1.3 million, may not have an on-the-road victory, but he wasn't far off in the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments (G1) at Meydan in March, when he came up just a half-length short to Jungle Cat. Since then, he came in sixth, beaten just two lengths in the Jaipur Invitational Stakes (G2T) after a less-than-ideal trip at Belmont Park, and then rattled off three straight, tight victories, including one over Richard's Boy in the Green Flash Handicap and the next over another Miller-trained Turf Sprint entrant, Conquest Tsunami, in the Eddie D Stakes (G3T).

"It is tough on the road, but they both have run well on the road individually, and they both have traveled a lot," said Rockingham racing manager Brian Trump. "That's a good thing for us. We have that under our belt, but this is a tough field."

Along with Stormy Liberal (the 4-1 second choice on the morning line), six other last-out winners populate the field, including four who have won back-to-back races heading into the Turf Sprint: Ten Broeck Farm's Chanteline, Three Diamonds Farm's Hembree, Silverton Hill's Ruby Notion, and World of Trouble, owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Bethlehem Stables. Ironhorse Racing Stable's Bucchero  (G2T Woodford Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select), mare Chanteline (G3T Buffalo Trace Franklin County Stakes), Hembree (G2T Nearctic Stakes), and Ruby Notion (G3T Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint Stakes) all enter the 5 1/2-furlong Turf Sprint off graded wins.

The second millionaire in the field, Patricia Generazio's homebred Disco Partner, finished third in last year's Turf Sprint, a half-length behind Stormy Liberal. The Christophe Clement trainee was dominant in his previous start, a 4 1/2-length score in the Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational Stakes Oct. 6 and is the race's 7-2 morning line favorite.

Ruby Notion and Will Call are the only entrants with victories on the Churchill Downs grass. Ruby Notion won an allowance sprint in June 2017, while Klein Racing and Madaket Stables' Will Call has two wins from two starts, one in allowance company at the Turf Sprint distance June 28 and another in the May 4 Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes presented by Twinspires.com (G3T) at five furlongs.

Entries: Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, November 03, 2018, Race 4

• Grade IT
• 5 1/2f
• Turf
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 12:38 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Ruby Notion (WV)	Florent Geroux	123	Darrin Miller	20/1
2	2Bucchero (IN)	Fernando De La Cruz	126	Tim Glyshaw	10/1
3	3Hembree (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Michael J. Maker	20/1
4	4Vision Perfect (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Jason Servis	15/1
5	5Disco Partner (NY)	Joel Rosario	126	Christophe Clement	7/2
6	6Rainbow Heir (NJ)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Jason Servis	12/1
7	7Lost Treasure (IRE)	Ryan L. Moore	124	Aidan P. O'Brien	20/1
8	8Chanteline (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	123	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1
9	9Stormy Liberal (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	126	Peter Miller	4/1
10	10Havana Grey (GB)	P J MCDONALD	124	Karl Burke	20/1
11	11World of Trouble (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Jason Servis	6/1
12	12Richard's Boy (CA)	Paco Lopez	126	Peter Miller	12/1
13	13Will Call (KY)	Shaun Bridgmohan	126	Brad H. Cox	20/1
14	14Conquest Tsunami (ON)	Flavien Prat	126	Peter Miller	6/1
15	15Insta Erma (KY)	Joel Rosario	123	Richard Baltas	30/1