Big City Lights © Benoit Photo
Graded stakes winner Big City Lights looks to take Sunday’s $100,000 Stormy Liberal Stakes going five furlongs on the turf. Last year’s winner, Unconquerable Keen and runner-up Sorrento Sky add depth to competitive field of ten three-year-olds and up. The Stormy Liberal is part of FanDuel Racing Turf Festival on closing day at Del Mar.
Making his appearance in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on November 1 after a 10 month layoff, Big City Lights came in eighth in a field of 14 runners. A winner of the Grade III Palos Verdes Stakes in February of 2024, the Richard Mandella trainee was the blowout winner as the 4-5 favorite in taking the Cary Grant Stakes by eight and a half lengths on November 9. He romped again in the Don Valpredo California Cup Sprint Stakes as the 1-10 favorite by seven and three-quarter lengths before the layoff. Owned by William Peeples, the six-year-old horse by Mr. Big sports a record of 14-7-4-2 with earnings of $598,420. He will have a new rider in Mirco Demuro.
Shuffled back at the start of last year’s Stormy Liberal Stakes, Unconquerable Keen made a two wide bid in the turn for home to run down Sorrento Sky to by a half-length to defend his title in the Stormy Liberal Stakes. Trained by Phil D’Amato for owners CYBT, Omar Aldabbagh and Michael Nentwig, the six-year-old gelding is looking for his third stateside stakes victory in the Stormy Liberal Stakes. With a record of 23-7-2-6 and $389,129 in earnings, he will have the services of Umberto Rispoli.
Field of 10 in post-position order: Big City Lights, Mirco Demuro 122; Zio Joe, Antonio Fresu 120; Virat, Hector Berrios 122; Yellow Card, Kazushi Kimura 122; Sorrento Sky, Flavien Prat 120; No Nay Hudson, Pablo Morales 124; Book Smart, Mike Smith 122; Nay V Belle, John Velazquez 119; Unconquerable Keen, Umberto Rispoli 120; Ballyvaughan Gig, Edwin Maldonado 122.
First post time for a nine-race card is 12:30 PM. The Stormy Liberal Stakes is slated as the fifth race with an approximate post time of 2:30 PM.