Liberty Rings will target her third stakes victory of the year in the Liberty Rings Our Dear Peggy contest at Gulfstream Park on Friday, October 30, where the Florida-bred 2-year-old filly will face 11 challengers in the $75,000 turf mile. The race will test her ability over two turns for the first time as she returns to competition against fellow fillies following her latest seventh-place finish.
Owned by Teresa and David Palmer and trained by Nicholas Palmer, Liberty Rings will enter the race after finishing 3½ lengths behind the winner in the five-furlong Hollywood Beach Stakes on September 26. She will seek to build on her earlier success at Gulfstream Park, where she will return to the turf after two previous stakes victories this year.
The Our Dear Peggy will share top billing with the $75,000 Cellars Shiraz Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, scheduled over 1 1/16 miles on the grass. The 10-race Gulfstream Park programme will begin at 12:05 PM.
Liberty Rings Our Dear Peggy Challenge Will Bring Equipment and Distance Changes
Liberty Rings will make her third career start on turf in the Our Dear Peggy after experiencing mixed results in her previous outings. She won the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park on May 9 in her second career start, before finishing seventh in the Debutante at Churchill Downs on June 28.
The filly returned to winning form on August 8, recording a three-length victory against Florida-breds in the six-furlong Scandalous Act Stakes on dirt at Gulfstream Park. Her latest outing in the Hollywood Beach Stakes brought a different challenge as she faced male rivals over five furlongs on turf rated good.
Liberty Rings tracked a strong pace before weakening in the stretch and finishing seventh. Her connections attributed the performance partly to the soft ground and the wide trip she encountered.
For Friday’s contest, she will wear blinkers for the first time and step up to a two-turn mile. Nik Juarez will take over riding duties from Miguel Vasquez, with the filly drawing Post 4 in the 12-runner field. She will carry 124 pounds.
Trainer Nicholas Palmer will look for the added distance and equipment change to help Liberty Rings maintain her focus and show further improvement. The race will provide an important opportunity to assess her suitability for longer turf contests.
Stakes Winners and Experienced Rivals Strengthen the Field
Liberty Rings will be the only stakes winner in the Our Dear Peggy field, but three other runners will bring previous stakes experience to the contest: Smoke, Boots and Casablanca Queen.
Casablanca Queen will start from Post 12 under Leonel Reyes and carry 122 pounds. Trained by Jose D’Angelo, she will return after finishing ninth in the one-mile Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs on September 7. Before that performance, she recorded a 4¼-length maiden victory over 7½ furlongs on August 16 in her first start on turf.
Smoke will break from Post 11 with Mario Gutierrez aboard and carry 122 pounds. She won a one-mile maiden race at Ellis Park on July 4 during her turf debut before finishing fourth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance contest at Keeneland on October 9. Carlos David will train her for this outing after she previously raced under different connections.
Boots will start from Post 8 under Micah Husbands and carry 122 pounds for trainer Nick Tomlinson. She will make her fifth career appearance and her first on turf after three consecutive stakes outings. Her previous campaigns included fourth-place finishes in the Sharp Susan, Scandalous Act and Three Ring Stakes, the latter on September 5.
The three fillies will provide experienced opposition for Liberty Rings as the field tackles the longer distance.
Recent Winners Add Competition to Gulfstream Park Contest
Hammy will arrive following a 2½-length maiden claiming victory over the same course and distance on September 26. Owned by Starry Night Racing and trained by Kent Sweezey, she will break from Post 2 under Marcos Meneses and carry 120 pounds.
The daughter of Nyquist advanced from mid-pack before taking a short lead into the stretch and drawing clear. Her latest performance will give her connections encouragement ahead of her first attempt against a stakes-level field.
Kissed by a Rose will also enter following a victory, having broken her maiden by a nose over a mile and 70 yards on Gulfstream Park’s Tapeta surface on October 4. The Colonel Liam filly will start from Post 3 under Miguel Vasquez and carry 122 pounds.
Co-owned by Kevin Dole, trainer Ron Spatz, Tom Cannell and Kimberly Sharkey, Kissed by a Rose will seek her first stakes placing. She previously finished second to Touch of Honor on September 5 after making her first three career starts on turf.
She is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Patternrecognition and stakes winners Florida Fuego and Lovesick. Her latest victory will provide momentum as she returns to competition against a stronger field.
Three other runners will enter the Our Dear Peggy after winning their latest starts. Karolina Pharoah will break from Post 6 under Jonathan Ocasio and carry 122 pounds, while Philipina A will occupy Post 7 with Yolber Torres aboard and carry 120 pounds. Touch of Honor will start from Post 9 under Jesus Rios and carry 122 pounds.
Sucker for Looks will take Post 5 under Diego Herrera and carry 120 pounds, while Life’s Mystery will start from Post 10 with Rasheed Hughes aboard and carry 120 pounds.
The Our Dear Peggy will give Liberty Rings an opportunity to add a third stakes victory to her record while testing her ability over a longer distance on turf. Her performance against 11 rivals will also help establish how effectively she will adapt to the two-turn format.
Liberty Rings will lead a 12-filly field in the Liberty Rings Our Dear Peggy contest at Gulfstream Park on Friday, October 30, as she targets her third stakes victory of the year and makes her first attempt over a two-turn turf mile.
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