Stormy Liberal (foaled April 12, 2012) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse. He broke his maiden in his second start at age two but won only once in the next two years. In October 2016, he was claimed by trainer Peter Miller for $40,000 and went on to become a multiple stakes winner, including back-to-back wins in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in 2017 and 2018. He was named the American Champion Turf Horse of 2018.
Background
Stormy Liberal is a bay gelding who was bred in Kentucky by Dapple Bloodstock & Gryphon Investments. He was sired by Stormy Atlantic, a stakes-winning son of leading sire Storm Cat. Stormy Liberal became his sire's 100th black-type winner when he won the Clocker's Corner Stakes in 2017. His dam Vassar, by Royal Academy, had previously produced stakes winner Shimmering Moment. She is a granddaughter of successful broodmare Luv Luvin', the family of Henrythenavigator and Saffron Walden.
Stormy Liberal was originally offered for sale by Dapple Stud at the Fasig-Tipton 2015 select yearling sale but did not meet his reserve at $165,000. He was ultimately sold as a two-year-old in training at the Ocala sales for $100,000 to Dennis O'Neill, acting as the agent for his brother Doug O'Neill. Stormy Liberal was originally trained by O'Neill for Success Racing.
Racing career
Stormy Liberal made his first start on September 3, 2014 in a maiden special weight run at a distance of furlongs on the then-existing all-weather track at Del Mar. He pressed the pace while racing wide around the turn, but tired and faded to eighth place. On October 10, he was entered in a maiden special weight over Santa Anita's downhill turf case. He broke well and entered into a speed duel with Dream Police for the early lead. Turning into the stretch, Stormy Liberal took the lead then held off a late run from Battle of Evermore to win by a length.
Stormy Liberal was then stepped up in class to enter the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar on November 30, run over a distance of one mile. He stalked the early pace and took the lead in mid-stretch but was passed late by Conquest Typhoon. Stormy Liberal finished his two-year-old campaign by finishing tenth in the Eddie Logan Stakes on December 27.
At age three, Stormy Liberal was entered in five allowance optional claiming races. His only win came over the Santa Anita downhill turf course on October 24, in which the field included future sprint champion Roy H.
Stormy Liberal started his four-year-old season with three straight second place finishes in allowance optional claiming races, then a fifth. After a summer layoff, he returned on October 16, 2016 in a $40,000 claiming race at Santa Anita. Stormy Liberal won easily and was claimed by Peter Miller for Rockingham Ranch. Stormy Liberal finished the year with two second-place finishes for his new connections.
2017: five-year-old season
Stormy Liberal made his first start as a five-year-old on January 29, 2017 in the Clocker's Corner Stakes at Santa Anita. Over the downhill turf course, he led from gate to wire to earn his first stakes victory by lengths.
On March 4, Stormy Liberal followed up by winning the listed Joe Hernandez Stakes, again over Santa Anita's downhill turf course. Running from off the pace, he made a strong stretch run to take the lead and held off the late closing Perfectly Majestic by a nose. He then survived a steward's inquiry regarding another horse, Danzing Candy, who had been cut off when Stormy Liberal passed him in the stretch. Jockey Norberto Arroyo Jr. noted the gelding's tendency to drift in, but was confident the result would stand. "I was flying by those horses," he said.
Stormy Liberal continued his winning streak by taking the Siren Lure Stakes on April 23, then earned his first graded stakes victory in the Daytona Stakes on May 27. The latter was won by just a neck but Arroyo felt the gelding had been waiting for the second-place horse to get close. "I had them from the get go and I knew I had more horse than him the whole time."
Stormy Liberal was shipped out of California for the first time for the Jaipur Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park on June 10. His winning streak was broken with an eighth place finish after he weakened in the stretch run. The winner Disco Partner set a world record of 1:05.67 for six furlongs in the race.