Unconquerable Keen © Benoit Photo

UMBERTO RISPOLI (Unconquerable Keen, winner) – “I got a little bit of squeeze, but I knew the pace was definitely going to be crazy fast. And he’s a horse that, every time, he has the tendency to run off a little bit so, with Phil (D’Amato) we tried to relax him, even in the morning, to try and make him understand to go slow in the beginning and then to use his turn of foot in the end. So, it worked out pretty well and you know he is the kind of horse, if you let him run too much, then you will be empty at the end. So the fact that the pace was hot and fast in the beginning, helps me a lot. I was traveling (behind) the right horses, and you know, once I came to the top of the stretch I had the right momentum, and once I tapped him he really finished strong”.

PHIL D’AMATO (Unconquerable Keen, winner) – “We thought there was going to be a bunch of speed and it was just going to be who got the trip. I got to give Umberto (Rispoli) credit for working with Unconquerable Keen and getting him to settle and finish again. He lost his style in the summer meet and we went back to the basics to get him to relax and finish better.”

FRACTIONS:  :21.57  :44.54  :56.32

The stakes win was the third of the meet for rider Rispoli, but his first in the Stormy Liberal. He now has 35 stakes wins at Del Mar. 

The stakes win was third of the meet for trainer D’Amato and his third in the Stormy Liberal. He now has 65 stakes wins at Del Mar. 

The winning owners of the Irish-bred winner are CYBT (John Rochfort of San Jose), Aldabbagh or Michael Nentwig of Del Mar.